Golden State Valkyries (17-15) vs. Washington Mystics (14-18) Game Notes
WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Golden State Valkyries (17-15) vs. Washington Mystics (14-18) Game Notes

Published on August 13, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


Golden State Valkyries (17-15) vs. Washington Mystics (14-18)

Golden State 88, Washington 83

By the Numbers

Golden State won its 17th game of the year, tying them with the 1998 Detroit Shock for the most of any WNBA expansion team (excluding the 1997 WNBA inaugural season). The Shock reached 17 wins in 30 games (their final game of the season), while the Valkyries accomplished the feat in 32 games.

Veronica Burton scored a career-high 30 points, which are the most points scored by a Valkyries player this season. Burton went 6-9 (66.7 percent) from three, her most-ever threes in a game, and 10-13 (76.9 percent) from the field, and had seven rebounds and seven assists.

Burton is the third player all time to have 30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and shoot 75.0 percent from the field or better in a game (Napheesa Collier on 7/27/25 and Sabrina Ionescu on 7/6/2022).

The Northwestern alumna is the fourth player this season to have 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 20 points on 70.0 percent (7-10) shooting, and reached 500 in her career on a three early on in the second quarter, one of her career-high six threes on the night. Zandalasini also added seven rebounds and four assists.

Burton and Zandalasini are the first teammates in the WNBA this season to each make six threes in the same game.

Tiffany Hayes went a perfect 8-8 from the line and had 14 points and six rebounds.

Janelle Salaün added 11 points on 5-9 (55.6 percent) shooting.

It's the first time this season Golden State has had two 20-point scorers in a game.

Golden State scored 30 points in the first quarter, shooting 81.8 percent (9-11) from the field, 80.0 percent (4-5) from three and 8-8 from the free throw line. It's the third time this season the Valkyries have opened the game with 30-or-more points in the first quarter.

The Valkyries had a season-high 15 threes in the game for a season best 46.9 3FG% (15-32).

Golden State went 29-57 (50.9 percent) from the floor, the second time it has shot 50.0 percent or better in a game.

Quotes

HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:

ON VERONICA BURTON'S PERFORMANCE:

"It's her career high with 30 points, and then this is her 19th double digit scoring this season... being the most improved (player in the WNBA), it's a no brainer. She wasn't a big offensive threat, but having 30 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, it's almost a triple double. Stepping into a new team, a new coach, new teammates, new environment, new city, I think that says a lot about who she is, about how she can make connections with her coaching staff and with her teammates; because with that type of trust in terms of how to move the ball and play with her teammates, that trust builds quickly. Credit to the person that V is. V is a selfless person, but she also believes in strong relationships, and so it's not just on the court that she's making a lot of impact, but it's off the court as well."

ON THE TEAM'S DETERMINATION:

"When you have purpose, when we see one of our family members (Kayla Thornton) go down, and now that we have purpose to do everything for her because we love her and we miss her a ton. I think that it just drives us a little bit more, that every time we step on that court, we know this is for her. We know she wishes she could be there with us, whether it's on the court, or in the locker room, in the huddle, screaming, yelling at us. We all understand the responsibility that we're going to do it for KT, and we're going to do more. Credit to our players, it's like they have to give more with energy, communication, and trust, and I think we're building trust actually a little bit quicker because of it, because of our purpose."

ON THE THREE-POINT SHOOTING TONIGHT:

"I see them practice all the time. So to me, it's normal that they're shooting this high percentage. I actually think the zone helped us get the threes because that let them be wide open. So I really felt like it was easy in terms of our offensive team picking apart in terms of what we can do of getting the ball in and out, just spray out for threes. Credit to our player, they're just trusting us to be able to change things on the fly, and that was our best performance. So let it fly mentality I think has been working."

GOLDEN STATE GUARD VERONICA BURTON AND FORWARD CECILIA ZANDALASINI:

ON HER BREAKOUT SEASON THIS YEAR:

Burton: "Opportunity is a big thing, and it's a big factor in this league and I've been grateful to have an opportunity to play and compete. I've had a coaching staff and teammates that instill a lot of confidence in me and that goes a long way in terms of success on court, and so just a lot of work and repetition. But also just opportunity and trust as well."

ON CLOSING OUT GAMES:

Zandalasini: " I think we did a great job overall, but we've got a bit better in closing games, especially after we knew that Washington is a very good team in the second half. we've got to get out in the second half a bit more ready. But we'll learn from this, and I think overall we did a good job to get the win, because on the road it's never easy. It's never taken for granted, even if you're up by 20, so that's a big win for us."

ON WHAT WAS WORKING OFFENSIVELY TONIGHT:

Burton: "As a team we hit 15 threes and so when you have to respect us from the three point line the spacing is a big thing, and it's a big factor. After we saw the ball go in from outside, the paint really opened up for us, and so just being aggressive, just reading the defense. They kind of went into a matchup-zone and not kind of letting that make us settle, but still being aggressive in that; and again my teammates found me in really good positions."

Up Next

Golden State takes on Chicago this Friday, August 15 at 4:30 p.m. PT on ION and the Audacy App.

Check out the Golden State Valkyries Statistics

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 13, 2025


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