The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Toronto Tempo 96-79 on Sunday night, earning their 20th victory of the season behind a balanced offensive performance led by Janelle Salaün.
Salaün paced Golden State with 24 points, shooting an efficient 9-for-15 from the field and 4-for-9 from three-point range. She also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Salaün has been particularly productive against Toronto, averaging 25.0 points in the matchup after scoring a career-high 26 against the Tempo on July 8.
Veronica Burton added 17 points and six assists with just one turnover, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes each scored 15 points, giving Golden State four players with at least 15.
Hayes also finished with four assists and a game-high three steals. Her 15 points pushed her past Hall of Famer Swin Cash on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, giving Hayes 5,128 career points.
While Golden State received plenty of offensive production, Kiah Stokes made her biggest impact at the other end. Stokes recorded eight points, 11 rebounds and five blocks without committing a turnover, finishing with a career-best plus-30.
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase praised the veteran center’s defensive presence after the game.
“She came in with a certain way of protecting that rim, you could tell she was communicating. She was a force in the paint.”
Cecilia Zandalasini added seven points and recorded a career-high five assists, while Kaitlyn Chen contributed four assists. Golden State finished with a franchise-record 26 assists, led by Burton’s six.
The Valkyries also found their rhythm from long range early, knocking down 10 three-pointers in the first half, two shy of their franchise record and three short of the WNBA record.
Toronto received a strong performance from Nyara Sabally, who led the Tempo with 19 points and eight rebounds. Kiki Rice added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Laura Juskaite scored 15 points.
Julie Allemand recorded 11 points and six assists, and Maria Conde contributed 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Despite having five players reach double figures, Toronto couldn’t match Golden State’s combination of shooting, ball movement and interior defense.
The victory came before Golden State’s 37th regular-season sellout and 38th consecutive sellout. The game was also played on the Chase Freedom Custom Court, the Valkyries’ first custom court.
As part of a charitable initiative tied to the August 2 and August 4 games, Chase Freedom pledged $1,000 to the Golden State Community Foundation for every Valkyries made shot. Golden State’s 33 field goals and 16 made free throws Sunday generated a $49,000 donation supporting youth development and education across the Bay Area.
Most importantly on the court, the win gave Golden State its 20th victory of the season, putting the Valkyries alongside Minnesota and Las Vegas as the three teams noted in the supplied game notes with at least 20 wins.
Salaün’s scoring set the pace, Burton directed the offense and Stokes controlled the paint as Golden State finished off a convincing 17-point victory over Toronto.
