Golden State Valkyries (19-18) vs. Dallas Wings (9-29) Postgame Notes
WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Golden State Valkyries (19-18) vs. Dallas Wings (9-29) Postgame Notes

Published on August 24, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


Golden State Valkyries (19-18) vs. Dallas Wings (9-29) Postgame Notes, Quotes and Links

Golden State 90, Dallas 81

By the Numbers

Veronica Burton posted 25 points and 13 assists for her fourth double-double of the year.

Burton also added a career-high four blocks, and is the first player in WNBA history with 25 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and four blocks in a game. She has two games this season with 20 points and 10 assists (tied for the most in the league). Her sixth game with 20+ points. Went 8-8 from the line, and has 16 games this season in which she hasn't missed a free throw. Burton has made 28 consecutive free throws (spanning the last four games in which she has a free throw attempt).

Iliana Rupert tied her career high with 17 points, and went 5-9 (55.6 percent) from three. Rupert also added six rebounds. Kaila Charles got her first start as a Valkyrie, tying her career high of 16 points on 5-10 shooting (50.0 percent) to go with six rebounds. Kate Martin added 12 points off the bench on 4-7 shooting (57.1 percent) from deep, and added five rebounds. Temi Fágbénlé and Janelle Salaün each posted nine points and nine rebounds. The Valkyries had 24 assists on 28 made field goals. Golden State was perfect at the line for the second time this season, going 18-18. The Valkyries made a season-high 16 three pointers (16-38; 42.1 percent), led by Rupert's career high five. Golden State held Paige Bueckers to a season-low nine points, including a scoreless first half.

Quotes

HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:

ON EXTENDING THE LEAD TO CLOSE OUT THE WIN:

"Just to start out, credit to Dallas, they countered some of our defensive schemes. So they countered it, and that's why I think we fell into the second, and then they ramped up their defense. So, we had to make adjustments at halftime. Credit to our players, just being open-minded, agreeing to the game plan, agreeing to the adjustments, and then being able to execute it on the fly. To me, that's showed a lot of growth within our team. Credit to our coaching staff. They saw what they saw, and then our players followed suit. I'm feeling really good that, even per quarter we can make adjustments, and I'm feeling really good about that."

ON KAILA CHARLES' CONTRIBUTIONS:

"Her defense! We matched her up with Paige (Bueckers), and because Paige just had a 44-point game, we all watched it, we all saw her. She is an elite scorer in this league. Rookie or no rookie, that's impressive, what she's been doing, and just her ability to do the step-backs, to do the floaters, to do the deep threes. We knew it was going to be a team effort, so we matched her up with Kai (Kaila Charles), but at the end of the day it was a team defense, so credit to our whole team being locked in because she is just not easy to cover. She demands a lot of attention. Credit to our team, and especially to defend without fouling is huge."

ON VERONICA BURTON:

"Whatever we ask for V (Veronica Burton), she executes. I told her before the game, 'you're probably not going to come out, you're probably going to have to play all 40,' and she says, 'whatever you need, whatever it takes to win I'll do it.' She's able to push through that fatigue, through all the bumps. Sometimes she gets frustrated, but she hung in there. Her mental toughness to stay calm, collected, and composed for the team, because at the same time, I'm yelling at her, 'hey, now we got to run this, run that.' Just the demands and commands I'm asking her to do while she's taking a heavy load on the offense, while she's taking a heavy load on the defense, credit to her mental toughness. She's probably one of the toughest players I ever coached, and the fact that I can yell at her in game time, and she respects that. But I also respect her, and her support. You could tell even when she's sitting there supporting her teammates, 'keep going you guys, keep taking that shot.' All those little things, V is always on. I couldn't ask for a better point guard right now. I think she's really a big part of why we're winning, and I said she's our heartbeat, but she's also our leader. She is our solid leader right now."

GOLDEN STATE GUARDS VERONICA BURTON AND KAILA CHARLES

ON BOUNCING BACK DESPITE THE INJURIES:

Burton: "We talk about it all the time, and just resiliency. Dallas has faced some injuries as well, and so we knew they were shorthanded, but just not using that as an excuse. It's coming down to playoff basketball, and so every win really matters and every game is super important; and I think we understand that and we just rely on each other and we are really just feeding into each other, encouraging each other. That really goes a long way in terms of just getting over the hump, and the mental toughness that we have as a group is awesome."

ON TYING HER CAREER HIGH 16 POINTS TODAY IN DALLAS:

Charles: "I started the season here and to be cut was sad, but it also gave me the opportunity to get picked up by them (Golden State). So even though it didn't work out here like I wanted to, it gave me another opportunity where I fit in a little bit more and have a great experience with this team, with this organization. So just showing that everything happens for a reason, and I'm really glad that I was able to get the win with my team and do well and help them."

ON HER EVOLUTION THIS SEASON AS A LEADER:

Burton: "I think our whole team, just the culture that we stand for. Everyone has a voice, everyone steps up, so it's a blessing. I've been out of this league, and so this is the stuff that I prayed for just to be on a team, be playing, and to have a coach that trusts me and instills a lot of confidence in me is something that I don't take for granted, and having teammates that also are willing to back me. It's something that I've wanted. So yes, it's a challenge and a responsibility but one that I definitely welcome."

Up Next

Golden State returns to Ballhalla on Saturday, August 30 to take on the Washington Mystics at 5:30 p.m. PT on KPIX+, KMAX, 95.7 The Game, and the Audacy App.

Check out the Golden State Valkyries Statistics

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