Veronica Burton’s Career Night Seals First-Ever Valkyries Victory in Chase Center Thriller
SAN FRANCISCO — In their second-ever home game, the Golden State Valkyries delivered a thrilling 76–74 comeback win over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night at Chase Center. Before a second straight sellout crowd of 18,064, guard Veronica Burton delivered a career performance, scoring 22 points with nine rebounds and five assists, including a buzzer-beating three to end the first half, sending the crowd into a jubilant frenzy.
Hall of Famer and former Stanford women’s basketball head coach, Tara VanDerveer, energized the crowd pregame, banging the Valkyries’ drum to the chant of “G-S-V.”
Historic First for Golden State
Golden State’s inaugural win was a hard-fought contest that came down to the wire. Head coach Natalie Nakase anticipated a close contest, stating, “My gut feeling, and I told my staff, I’m like, ‘this is gonna go down to the wire.’ I go, ‘I don’t know what it is but we’re probably gonna have a close game,’ and so luckily, all the coaches, we actually met for an extra hour, and just made sure we’re prepared on any level.”
She praised her team’s improved attention to detail in the fourth quarter and deflected praise from herself: “It’s more credit to the players and my staff,” she said. “This definitely wasn’t just me or about me…credit to our players for stepping up.”
Burton took command after starting guard Tiffany Hayes exited late in the second quarter with a nose injury. The Northwestern alumna embraced the moment.
“Huge shout out to my teammates and coaches that just continue to emphasize letting the ball fly.”
Down to the Wire
The game saw 12 lead changes and was tied six times. The Valkyries mounted a resilient push in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mystics 29–28. Thornton praised the team’s growth in clutch moments.
“We could have folded…but we just pushed through. Everybody contributed to this win tonight.”
She also credited the loud fans who were on their feet in the final minutes, cheering.
“They helped us. They were our sixth man tonight, and I’m just so grateful for the fans that we have.”
A key moment came with about two minutes left in the game when Rookie guard Carla Leite made a layup that tied the game, 63 all. It marked a palpable momentum shift that, judging by their thundering cheers, galvanized the fans.
Burton agreed, saying, ” I think that was the crowd at its loudest, you couldn’t hear anything….that was a huge shot.”
Key Performances
Thornton scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. In her season debut, rookie forward Janelle Salaün added 10 points, including the first two baskets of the game. Leite provided 10 points off the bench. Veteran center Temi Fágbénlé pulled down seven rebounds and had a career-high four steals.
Brittney Sykes led the Mystics with 30 points and had five rebounds plus four assists. Rookie guard Sonia Citron contributed 10 points plus eight rebounds. Stanford alumna and rookie forward Kiki Iriafen also scored 10 points and secured 12 rebounds in her Bay Area return. She has scored in double digits in every game so far and tallied her second double-double against the Valkyries.
Up Next
Golden State (1–1) begins a three-game road trip on Friday, May 23, visiting the Los Angeles Sparks at 7 p.m.PT (TV: ION) before heading to New York to face the Liberty on May 27 and 29 (TV: KPIX and KMAX).
The Washington Mystics (2–1) continue their West Coast swing against the Las Vegas Aces the same night for a televised game on ION.
