San Francisco, CA — The Golden State Valkyries put on a defensive clinic Sunday night, stifling the league’s top shooting team and cruising to an 84–57 victory over the Seattle Storm at Chase Center.
Tiffany Hayes led the way with 21 points, while Veronica Burton added 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds in a balanced effort from the Valkyries, who improved to 8–8 on the season.
Golden State’s defensive intensity was the story of the night, holding Seattle to a season-low 27% shooting (20-for-74) — a stark contrast for a Storm team that entered the night leading the WNBA in field-goal percentage (47.0%).
Seattle’s Skylar Diggins-Smith was the lone bright spot with 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds, but the Storm (now 10–6) struggled to find rhythm against Golden State’s pressure. The Valkyries had lost four of their previous six coming into the matchup but looked sharp from the opening tip.
Golden State started the game on a 7-0 run, eventually stretching the lead to 13-4 behind efficient ball movement and high-energy play from Laeticia Amihere, who chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. Hayes pushed the pace all night, consistently breaking down Seattle’s defense.
A scare came early in the third quarter when Valkyries leading scorer Kayla Thornton exited the game holding her neck. She finished with just two points on 1-for-9 shooting and missed all five of her 3-point attempts. The team later said she was undergoing evaluation, but no further details were provided.
Despite Thornton’s absence, the Valkyries kept control, thanks to a swarming defense and solid rebounding. Golden State limited Seattle’s star Nneka Ogwumike to just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in her return to the Bay Area, where she starred at Stanford. She also pulled down seven rebounds.
Neither team found much success from long range — Golden State finished 8-of-27 from deep, while Seattle went 6-of-28.
Valkyries center Temi Fágbénlé returned to the lineup after a short rest, logging 20 minutes following her appearance with Great Britain in EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers.
Sunday’s sold-out crowd of 18,064 — Golden State’s 10th straight home sellout — featured several high-profile fans, including NBA superstar Stephen Curry, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, former Storm legend Sue Bird, and U.S. soccer icon Megan Rapinoe.
Carla Leite, the promising Valkyries rookie guard, missed her fourth consecutive game due to a lingering back injury.
What’s Next:
Seattle begins a three-game East Coast road trip on Thursday vs. Atlanta.
Golden State travels to face the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday.
