In an electrifying matchup on Sunday night, the Golden State Valkyries soared to a dominant 84-57 victory against the Seattle Storm. Tiffany Hayes led the charge with 21 points, while Veronica Burton added a solid contribution of 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists, helping to secure the win.
The game took a concerning turn when Kayla Thornton, the Valkyries’ leading scorer, exited to the locker room clutching her neck early in the third quarter. Although her shooting performance was not up to her usual standards with just one out of nine attempts and missing all five of her shots from beyond the arc, she still managed to pull down five rebounds. Her team rallied in her absence, showing resilience on both ends of the court.
Meanwhile, Skylar Diggins gave a valiant effort for Seattle with 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Despite Seattle’s prowess as the league’s best in field-goal percentage at 47.0%, they struggled against Golden State, achieving a season-low shooting rate of 27% with just 20 successful shots out of 74 attempts. Previously, the Storm had only experienced sub-40% shooting once this season during their opener against Phoenix.
Laeticia Amihere bolstered the Valkyries with 15 points and eight rebounds, facilitating an early 7-0 run that set the tone for the game. Nneka Ogwumike, a notable player with ties to Stanford, contributed eight points and seven rebounds for Seattle, who had previously been victorious in four out of their last five outings.
Both teams faced challenges with three-point shots; Seattle converted just six of their 28 attempts, whereas Golden State managed to make eight of their 27 long-range shots. Returning from representing Great Britain in the EuroBasket 2025, Temi Fágbénlé of Golden State played 20 minutes after missing two games.
The clash drew a packed venue of 18,064 fans, marking the Valkyries’ 10th consecutive home sellout at Chase Center. Among the spectators were notable figures such as two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley, legendary Storm and U.S. player Sue Bird, as well as soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
Missing in action for Golden State was guard Carla Leite, who sat out her fourth consecutive game due to a back injury.
Looking ahead, Seattle embarks on an East Coast road trip that begins Thursday in Atlanta, while the Golden State Valkyries prepare to face Minnesota on Saturday.