Kayla Thornton Scores Career-High 22 Points, Valkyries Defeat Aces by 27 at Chase Center

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WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Kayla Thornton Scores Career-High 22 Points, Valkyries Defeat Aces by 27 at Chase Center

June 7, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 95-68 at Chase Center on Saturday afternoon, their largest win in franchise history.

Veronica Burton filled the stat sheet for the Valkyries in the win, finishing with 14 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. It was the first double-double of her career and she became the first player in the WNBA this season to record 14+ PTS, 12+ AST and 7+ REB. She also led the game with a plus-40 plus-minus.

Burton was one of three players for the Valkyries to record a double-double (Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings), while Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 18 points.

THORNTON'S QUICK START AND CAREER-HIGH

Kayla Thornton got off to a fast start on Saturday, scoring the first five points of the game. Her first bucket came from taking Jewell Loyd off the dribble, spinning to her left and hitting a fadeaway. On the next possession, Thornton pulled up from 27 feet after a Janelle Salaün screen gave her open space to connect from distance.

Thornton finished the contest with a career-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

MARTIN'S IMPACT

Kate Martin was the first Valkyrie off the bench and instantly made her presence felt against her old team, scoring on A'ja Wilson on her first possession.

Martin then closed out the first half with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to give the Valkyries a 21-point lead going into the second half.

Martin finished the game with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds.

BILLINGS' DEFENSE

Monique Billings anchored the Valkyries defense and had the tough task of guarding A'ja Wilson in her 25 minutes of action. She finished the game with 2 blocks and 2 steals, including a highlight-reel block against Jackie Young in the second quarter.

Billings recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and collecting 11 rebounds on the afternoon.

SECOND QUARTER SURGE

After holding on to a two-point lead after the first frame, the Valkyries opened up the second quarter on an 11-3 run to take a double-digit lead.

The Valkyries outscored the Aces 33-15 in the second quarter after shooting 10-for-16 (62.5%) from the field and 4-for-8 (50%) from 3-point range. Defensively, the Valkyries held the Aces to just 25 percent shooting from the field.

ZANDALASINI'S CAREER-HIGH

Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 18 points in the victory. Zandalasini was an efficient 5-for-9 from the field, including making 3-of-4 3-point attempts, while knocking down all five free throw attempts.

UP NEXT

The Valkyries head on the road and will meet the Los Angeles Sparks for the third time this season on Monday (7 p.m.; KPIX+ (Bay Area) KMAX (Sacramento)). The two teams have split the first two matchups, with the road team winning each matchup. The Valkyries fell 84-67 in the regular season opener on May 16, before beating the Sparks 82-73 in Los Angeles on May 23.

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