Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton's return to New York to face her former team, reigning 2024 WNBA champions the New York Liberty, ended in a 95-67 loss.
The team struggled to stop the Liberty's high-powered offense, which finished with 30 assists compared to the Valkyries' 16.
The Liberty got out to an early 6-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game and never relinquished it. A steal by Thornton helped the Valkyries get their first points.
However, the Valkyries struggled on both sides of the ball, ending the first quarter trailing 27-10.
Valkyries guard Veronica Burton responded quickly in the first seconds of the second quarter with a 3-pointer, starting off what would be a scrappy second quarter. The first half ended with the Liberty leading 48-29, but the Valkyries kept up with the Liberty, scoring 19 to the Liberty's 21.
The Valkyries' offensive rhythm continued as Thornton and Burton scored the first points of the third quarter. Fágbénlé, Carla Leite and Janelle Salaun helped the Valkyries outscore the Liberty 22 to 19 in the third.
Ultimately, the Valkyries' offense struggled to stay in rhythm, getting outscored 16 to 28. Pressure from the Liberty's defense also led to several turnovers, giving up a total of 32 points to turnovers throughout the game. The Valkyries ended up losing 95-67 in their first game of the week against the Liberty
The Valkyries' normal scorers in Thornton, Burton and Salaun struggled to find their shots for most of the game. Thornton shot 3 for 10 on field goals, but shot well from the 3-point line, going 2-5 and ending the game with 13 points. Burton shot 3 for 11 and 2 for 7 from the 3-point line.
Fágbénlé shot a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and scored on her only 3-point attempt, ending with 11 points. Kate Martin scored 10. The Valkyries bench scored 19 to the Liberty's 37. The Valkyries struggled in the paint as well, scoring 16 points to the Liberty's 40.
Their next game will be a rematch against the Liberty on Thursday at 4 p.m. Catch the game on KPIX 5.
Henry Steiner contributed to this report.
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