Golden State 74, Washington 69
By the Numbers
- The Valkyries returned home and drew their 36th consecutive home sellout with 18,064 fans.
- Tonight’s win is Golden State’s ninth straight, extending the longest-ever winning streak in franchise history.
- Gabby Williams led the Valkyries in scoring with 18 points, marking her 12th time leading the team in a game this season. Williams also added five assists and three steals.
- Veronica Burton hit her seventh career double-double with 11 points and 11 assists, adding in another five rebounds and two steals with just one turnover. Burton went 4-8 (50.0 percent) from the field and 2-5 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc.
- Kayla Thornton also hit double digits with 11 points, going 3-6 (50.0 percent) from the field, 3-6 (50.0 percent) on three pointers, and 2-2 (100.0 percent) from the line. Thornton also added four defensive rebounds, one block, and one steal.
- Janelle Salaün contributed nine points off the bench, finishing 3-6 (50.0 percent) from the field and 2-4 (50.0 percent) from three while also adding three rebounds.
- Kaila Charles shot 3-4 (75.0 percent) from the line and added a third-quarter three-pointer to finish with six points.
- Tiffany Hayes added seven points, shooting 2-3 (66.7 percent) on field goals, 1-2 (50.0 percent) from three, and 2-3 (66.7 percent) from the line.
- Golden State’s bench outscored Washington’s reserves 25-16, led by Salaün, Hayes, and Charles.
- Golden State only committed eight turnovers in the contest, including just two in the second half.
- The Valkyries went on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter, highlighted by consecutive three pointers by Williams, Kiah Stokes, Thornton and Burton, to close out the win.
- The Valkyries have held their opponents to under 70 points seven times this season.
- All 10 Valkyries who played scored on Saturday, with three finishing in double-digits.
Quotes
HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:
ON VERONICA BURTON:
“[Veronica got] her seventh double-double, and also with just one turnover. I think that's an even bigger highlight in 32 minutes with the type of defense that Washington is. They're one of the best for a reason. They harass the ball, they're physical in the paint. They stunt, they shift, and so for V [Veronica Burton] to handle a lot of that, I thought it was really impressive. Her organization today was at a high level, and especially with us kind of not being our real selves tonight, [it] kind of felt a little bit uncharacteristic. V just kept leading. She kept supporting, she kept encouraging. I thought she pressed everyone's buttons perfectly tonight…She's caring about every single person before herself. That's the V that I saw tonight, and she's going to continue to grow and get better and better.”
ON CLOSING OUT THE WIN TONIGHT:
“Whether it's coming out of an action we practiced, or it's our spacing, or it's us and our transition, it's [about] continuing to find the hot hand, [and] trusting everyone down the stretch. That's what's really good about our team, is we continue to either find the hot hand, or everyone has trust in everyone, because we're always going to have that space for that three. So making the right reads was really key down the stretch.”
ON WHAT STOOD OUT AGAINST WASHINGTON:
“Team effort. We understand at certain points they're very tall, big, and physical in size. So it's got to be a team effort. Whether it's coming from ball pressure, it's hitting them early. I thought we hit them a little bit too late at times, and then it's just being active with our digs, and our shifts, and things like that. And I thought down the stretch when we finished with the five that we finished with, they had great synergy where that ball was moving. I thought Ceci [Cecilia Zandalasini] came in with a great steal at the end, and then Gabby [Williams], her high active hands saved us a lot with the paint. Then I just thought attention to detail with KT [Kayla Thornton] and Kiah [Stokes] down the stretch, just defending without fouling. It was beautiful at that last five minutes, and so for us to rely on our defense down the stretch was huge.”
GOLDEN STATE FORWARD GABBY WILLIAMS AND GUARD VERONICA BURTON:
ON TONIGHT’S TAKEAWAYS:
Williams: “I just love that we win in so many different ways and in so many different situations. I think that's just a huge confidence boost for us. It feels like every game is just so different…. We're winning when it's easier, winning when it's hard, when we're on the road, when we're home, when we start great, when we don't start great. We're just always finding a way, and I just love that about us.”
ON DEFENDING WASHINGTON’S SIZE:
Burton: “They were very successful in the paint, and we talked about it. But it's on us guards, too, to come in and help. Our bigs cover for us all the time, and so it's on us to help them out too. And whether that's digging, doubling, and just kind of smashing in on rebounds. ”
ON THE TEAM’S DEPTH:
Williams: “I love when my teammates are able to make big plays like that. Kai [Kaila Charles] hit a super clutch one. Kayla [Thornton] hit one. Kiah [Stokes] hit a clutch one. Obviously, we hit that one at the end. That was the finisher, and that's just who we are. We're just gonna hype each other up, we're gonna be happier for each other than we are for ourselves. And I think that's our strength, we just feed off each other's energy.”
Up Next: The Valkyries host the Mystics again on Monday, July 20, tipping off at 7 p.m. PT on KPIX, KOVR, 95.7 The Game, the Audacy App, and ESPN 1320.
