What we learned from Valkyries’ first win in franchise history
SAN FRANCISCO It wasn t pretty but the Valkyries got it done Despite shooting from the field and from the three-point line Golden State hit every big shot down the stretch to beat the Washington Mystics - and notch its first win in franchise history This is our first meeting where we kind of hit selected adversity forward Kayla Thornton disclosed Our shots weren t hitting but we just stuck with it I m just so proud of our gang because we could have just folded And there could have been excuses because we were a young band we don t know the system But we just pushed through and everybody contributed to this win tonight Fourth-year guard Veronica Burton had her best competition of her career as she scored a career-high points to go along with nine rebounds five assists and two steals I was grateful to see the ball go through the net Burton stated Golden State Valkyries' Kayla Thornton and Golden State Valkyries' Veronica Burton celebrate after Thornton scored a three point basket as Washington Mystics' Kiki Iriafen looks on in the fourth quarter of a WNBA competition at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Here are five takeaways from Wednesday s win Defense leads the way Golden State won Wednesday s championship on the defensive end The Valkyries missed their first -point attempts and couldn t find any consistency at the rim but kept the event within striking distance throughout the second half Golden State forced turnovers which resulted in points Though Washington guard Brittney Sykes had a game-high points the Valkyries didn t allow any other athlete to points more than Golden State Valkyries' Kayla Thornton blocks a pass intended to Washington Mystics' Sonia Citron n the second quarter of a WNBA tournament at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Tiffany Hayes update Starting shooting guard Tiffany Hayes was knocked out of Wednesday s meeting after she suffered a nose injury late in the second quarter She took a hard fall when she collided with Washington forward Shakira Austin in the post Hayes was down on the floor for a insufficient minutes but was eventually helped back to the locker room With an icepack and towel over her face she gave a thumbs up to the crowd as she walked through the home tunnel She s doing good I think we re just gonna wait to see you know how she feels Valkyries coach Nakase noted But I walked to the locker room and she was the first one to open her arms and give me a big hug Golden State Valkyries' Tiffany Hayes gives the thumbs up as she leaves the match after she was fouled by Washington Mystics in the second quarter of a WNBA meeting at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Golden State Valkyries' Tiffany Hayes ends up on the floor in pain after she was fouled by Washington Mystics as her teammtes ask for help in the second quarter of a WNBA encounter at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group French forward shines in debut Janelle Sala n arrived in the Bay Area for the first time last Friday and made her WNBA debut as the Valkyries starting small forward against the Mystics She didn t disappoint Sala n scored points grabbed four rebounds and put pressure on the rim all meeting to open up shots for herself and her teammates Just having another person who can handle the pick and roll just gives them a lot more freedom Nakase reported Trying to get to the paint is hard It takes pressure off other players Golden State Valkyries' Janelle Salaun makes a shot against the Washington Mystics' Sonia Citron in the first quarter of a WNBA event at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Valkyries own the offensive glass The Valkyries are carving out their identity as a scrappy rebounding squad While they lost the overall rebounding battle Golden State had four more offensive rebounds than the Mystics Burton had a game-high four offensive boards in the win Golden State s biggest play of the competition came when center Temi Fagbenle grabbed an offensive rebound and discovered Burton for a dagger -pointer that pushed the Valkyries lead to seven with under a minute remaining in the event We re just trying to intentionally crash Not just crash to crash but we re trying to get more possessions Nakase mentioned So Veronica she grabbed four so that s four extra possessions So that s huge considering she s not one of the tallest people on the floor Golden State Valkyries' Kayla Thornton is fouled by Washington Mystics' Kiki Iriafen on a rebound in the third quarter of a WNBA battle at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Another sellout crowd For the second straight meeting the Valkyries had a sellout crowd of The ability at Chase Center was evident for all four quarters Let s go Valkyries chants rang throughout the crowd as Golden State inched closer to a win The Mystics took notice It s something we re going to get used to and we re going to play in front of people crowd on any given night Washington forward Jade Melbourne explained It s exciting and it s the direction of women s basketball that we ve all required to embrace It sucks when you re on the road but it s an awesome atmosphere and it s great and it s fun to play in front of Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob walks off the floor as he celebrates with fans after their Valkyries win against the Washington Mystics at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Golden State Warriors Brandin Podziemski exchanges words with Washington Mystics' Brittney Sykes during the fourth quarter of a WNBA match at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Former Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole second from left attends the Golden State Valkyries battle against the Washington Mystics at Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday May Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group
