NEW YORK — The Golden State Valkyries have built their identity on defense, but on Thursday night against the New York Liberty, Veronica Burton showed just how dangerous they can be when their offense is humming, too.
Burton handed out a game-high 13 assists without committing a turnover, Cecilia Zandalasini scored 20 points and the Valkyries held New York to a season-low scoring total in a convincing 79-60 win.
Golden State led 42-30 at halftime and never allowed the Liberty closer than 12 points in the second half. New York shot a season-low 30.2% from the field, while the Valkyries outrebounded the Liberty 39-32 and knocked down six more 3-pointers.
“Our identity is defense,” Gabby Williams said. “Great defense leads to great teams and great success.”
That identity was apparent throughout the night.
Golden State held New York to 30 first-half points, the Liberty’s second-lowest first-half output of the season. Their lowest? Twenty-nine points against these same Valkyries on June 28.
The 60 points were also a season low for New York, replacing its previous low of 67 — again against Golden State.
While the defense set the tone, Burton controlled the game at the other end.
Her 13 assists established a season high and came without a single turnover. It was Burton’s fifth career game with at least 10 assists and no turnovers, trailing only Sue Bird’s seven for the most such performances in WNBA history. Burton has piled up 29 assists against just one turnover over her last three games.
“She’s resilient. Veronica Burton is resilient, she’s relentless,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Thirteen assists; zero turnovers, that’s her composure.”
Nakase pointed to Burton’s growing ability to anticipate the defense, attack the paint and understand where her teammates want the ball.
“She’s growing into one of the best point guards in the league for sure,” Nakase said.
Zandalasini was one of the biggest beneficiaries.
She scored 14 of her 20 points before halftime, tying her career high for points in a half, and finished 8-of-17 from the floor with four 3-pointers. Williams added 16 points and hit four triples of her own, while Tiffany Hayes supplied 12 points off the bench.
Zandalasini credited both her teammates and Golden State’s system for creating the rhythm behind her performance.
“I just feel good,” Zandalasini said. “In games like this, my teammates find me in the right spot and I just shoot the ball.”
The balance extended beyond the scorers. Kiah Stokes grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while adding four assists, a steal and a block, providing the interior presence behind a defense that never allowed New York to establish consistent offense.
Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 18 points, and Breanna Stewart added 16, but New York made just 19 of its 63 shots.
For Golden State, it was another road performance defined by defense. The Valkyries have now held opponents under 70 points in three consecutive road games, becoming the first WNBA team to accomplish that since the Connecticut Sun in 2024. They have held opponents to 70 points or fewer a league-leading 13 times this season.
Yet the combination of that defense with an increasingly varied offense may be what excites Nakase most.
“That’s why we’re dangerous,” Nakase said. “It could be Ceci’s night, it could go back to Gabby. … Being on fire, but also having selflessness is huge.”
Against New York, it was Zandalasini supplying the scoring, Stokes anchoring the interior and Williams contributing at both ends.
And in the middle of all of it was Burton, directing the Valkyries without wasting a possession.
