FINAL: Valkyries 80, Lynx 66

Golden State 80 , Minnesota 66

By the Numbers

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• Veronica Burton scored 14 points with nine assists and tied her career high with five steals. Burton, who currently holds the WNBA record for career assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.14 (min. 500 career assists), also only had one turnover on the night.
• Cecilia Zandalasini led all scorers with 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half on 50.0 percent (5-10) shooting.
• Gabby Williams added 15 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. Williams came into Monday night ranking 10th in the WNBA in fourth quarter points per game at 5.1. Williams also had five rebounds and two steals while being +10.
• Janelle Salaün scored 12 points while adding five rebounds and three assists off the bench for Golden State.
• Tiffany Hayes posted 14 points and four assists. Hayes has scored in double figures in six straight games, and is averaging 13.7 PPG her last six games,
• Golden State held the Lynx to a season-low 66 points, the first time the Lynx have been held under 70 points since June 24, 2025.
• The Valkyries have held their opponents to 70 points or less in a league-leading 11 games this season.
• Minnesota was also held to a season-low 35.6 (21-59) field goal percentage.
• Golden State turned the ball over just six times while forcing 18 from the Lynx, resulting in 21 points off turnovers for the Valkyries.
• The Valkyries limited Lynx guard Olivia Miles, who entered tonight’s matchup averaging 20.0 PPG, to just eight points (one away from her season low).

Quotes
HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE: ON PLAYING DEFENSE ALL FOUR QUARTERS: “It was about us just focusing on the attention to detail. We talked about bringing a different game plan, so credit to our coaches. Landon [Tatum], it was his scout, but more importantly the girls executed it. We did it all four quarters, so this was a huge leap for us…. Keeping that team [Minnesota] to 66 [points]. That's a very talented team, they're number one for a reason. So really proud to keep them to 66.”
ON CECILIA ZANDALASINI’S PERFORMANCE: “That's Ceci [Zandalasini], I actually didn't even know she was 0-5 [to start]. We think every shot she shoots goes in… Ceci is one of our closers, she's our most composed, [an] offensive threat. I think it's just another day for Ceci. But the way she closed tonight, shooting those difficult end-of-the-clock shots, those were huge, and it definitely gave us a lot of confidence to close.”
ON LIMITING NAPHEESA COLLIER OFFENSIVELY: “We put a couple of people on her [Napheesa Collier]. I thought Kiah Stokes just did a phenomenal job. I know she's had a lot of reps in terms of guarding her. But in Kiah's lane, she moves her feet really well, and then, more importantly, defending without fouling; and then she did an amazing job boarding. So just credit to Kiah just being a one-man protection down there for us because Phee’s an incredible scorer. She can score at all three levels. Kiah Stokes did a great job.”
GOLDEN STATE GUARD VERONICA BURTON AND FORWARD CECILIA ZANDALASINI ON THE VICTORY: Burton: “It feels good. Getting any win on the road, I think at this point in the season, feels good. [We’re] Just trying to gear up for playoff basketball. I think the way we did it and the way we made adjustments, obviously just seeing them less than a week ago, so it feels good. But a lot to build off of this one.ON FORCING 18 TURNOVERS: Zandalasini: “We made adjustments since the previous games against them. I think we were really locked in. Everybody was on the same page, and the effort was there. I think we caught them a little bit off guard, and so we were able to get those deflections.”ON THE GAMEPLAN GOING INTO TONIGHT: Zandalasini: “They are number one team, so if you want to beat them, you have to [have] attention to details, the effort needs to be there, the energy, because as soon as you make a mistake, they make you pay, especially at home. So I think we were really locked in on that and very focused on our things today.”
Up Next: The Valkyries visit Connecticut to face the Sun on Wednesday, August 26, tipping off at 4:00 p.m. PT on KPIX, KOVR, and the Audacy App.