Game Preview: Valkyries at Mystics - 7/31/25
WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Game Preview: Valkyries at Mystics - 7/31/25

July 30, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


The Golden State Valkyries continue their road trip, heading to the Nation's capital to battle the Mystics in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Golden State earned their first-ever win in franchise history against the Mystics at Chase Center on May 21. The Valkyries (12-13) and Mystics (13-13) are within a half a game of each other in the standings and feature a plethora of young talent.

Valkyries at Mystics

Thursday, July 31 | Tipoff: 4:30 p.m.

WATCH: KPIX (Bay Area), KMAX (Sacramento), Amazon Prime

LISTEN: 95.7 The Game

LAST TIME OUT

Cecilia Zandalasini hit a game-winning turnaround baseline jumper to give the Valkyries a 77-75 victory over the Dream in Atlanta on Tuesday. Zandalasini finished with a team-high 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. With the game tied at halftime, the Valkyries made franchise history with seven made threes in the third quarter, outscoring the Dream by 13 points in the frame. Despite their historic third quarter, the Valkyries had to overcome Atlanta's counterpunch in the fourth quarter as they bounced back from a 19-6 Dream run to ultimately seal the deal. The Valkyries had four players score in double figures and all of them hit multiple threes. » Full Game Recap

ZANDALASINI COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

Cecilia Zandalasini tied a career-high with 18 points and her final basket was the game-winner for the Valkyries. Zandalasini credits Head Coach Natalie Nakase for the play call and her teammates for the perfect execution.

"It was the action the coach drew on the board, so everybody just executed and I was able to get space and take that shot," Zandalasini said.

With All-Star Kayla Thornton out for the season, Coach Nakase has leaned on Zandalasini as someone she considers to be "super reliable" down the stretch. Zandalasini started the first two games without Thornton and was the game's most productive reserve on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON D.C. SCOUTING REPORT

The Washington Mystics have one of the league's best rookie classes with two top-five draft picks who are making waves. The Mystics had three 2025 All-Stars and two of them were from their 2025 draft class - guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen. On Tuesday, they became the first rookie duo in franchise history to record 20-points each in the same game. Citron (14.2 PPG) and Iriafen (11.9 RPG) are second and third, respectively, among rookies in scoring. Iriafen also leads all rookies in rebounds per game (8.5 RPG) and Citron is third (5.0 RPG). Their third All-Star is Brittany Sykes, who is averaging a team-best 16.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. The Mystics had a 5-8 record after a loss on June 20, but have gone 8-5 since.

Check out the Golden State Valkyries Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 30, 2025


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