Notable Takeaways from Valkyries vs. Lynx in the Regular Season
WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Notable Takeaways from Valkyries vs. Lynx in the Regular Season

Published on September 12, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


The Golden State Valkyries and Minnesota Lynx played four times in the regular season ahead of their first-round series, including two matchups this month. The Valkyries were swept in the regular season series 4-0, including three double-digit losses. Read below for a recap of the season series and three notable takeaways from those matchups.

Sept. 11: Lynx 72 - Valkyries 53

The Valkyries will be the eighth seed in the WNBA playoffs after their 72-53 regular season finale loss to the Lynx in Minnesota. Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman led all scorers with 21 points, while Napheesa Collier added 19 points and three 3-pointers on 8-for-10 shooting. With Collier's ultra-efficient outing, she became just the second player in WNBA history to average 50-40-90 shooting splits (FG%, 3PT%, FT%) for a season. The Valkyries didn't have any players score in double figures and shot just 3-for-27 from three. » Full Game Recap

Sept. 6: Lynx 78 - Valkyries 72

The Valkyries fell 78-72 in their home finale against the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center. Four Valkyries scored in double figures, with Janelle Salaün, Iliana Rupert and Kaila Charles scoring a team-high-tying 15 points. Natisha Hiedeman scored a season-high 24 points off the bench for Minnesota and Jessica Shepard recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 assists. » Full Game Recap

July 5: Lynx 82 - Valkyries 71

Tiffany Hayes scored a season-high 23 points and made a season-high five 3-pointers in the Valkyries' 82-71 loss to the Lynx in Minnesota on Saturday. Hayes recorded 20-plus points for the second consecutive game and had her third career game with at least five 3-pointers. After having her 14-game streak of scoring in double figures snapped due to an in-game injury against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Kayla Thornton tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Napheesa Collier paced the Lynx with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, while Courtney Williams added 15 points and a team-high three 3-pointers. Minnesota improved to a perfect 10-0 at home in games that count towards the regular season standings and 15-2 overall. » Full Game Recap

June 1: Lynx 86 - Valkyries 75

Veronica Burton scored a team-high 21 points in 23 minutes in the Valkyries' 86-75 Commissioner's Cup loss to the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center on Sunday. Kate Martin added 14 points, all in the second quarter. Napheesa Collier scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace the Lynx, while Courtney Williams added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. » Full Game Recap

Takeaways:

MAKE OR MISS LEAGUE

Sometimes the difference between winning and losing a game is as simple as making or missing shots. No team made more 3-pointers this season than the Valkyries and the Lynx were right behind them in second place. So it's no surprise that the team that was more efficient from behind the arc had a significant advantage in their head-to-head matchups. Over their four meetings, the Valkyries made just 32 of their 128 3-point attempts (25.0 3PT%), while the Lynx made 43 of 114 (37.7 3PT%), 0.1 shy of their league-leading average. Following Golden State's season finale loss, Head Coach Natalie Nakase shed light on the perimeter shooting disparity and her confidence that the gap can be narrowed.

"We are capable of making more shots," Nakase said. "We had a lot of good looks and moved the ball really well. We work on our threes all the time. So I'm really hopeful."

COLLIER'S EFFICIENCY

Napheesa Collier was remarkably efficient against the Valkyries this season, averaging 21.3 points per game on a 68.5 true shooting percentage across four games. Only Breanna Stewart (93 points) and A'ja Wilson (92 points) scored more points against the Valkyries than Collier (85 points) and neither of them were as efficient. Collier shot 54.5 percent from the field, 58.8 percent from three and 93.8 percent from the foul line against Golden State. She made WNBA history this year as the only player ever to average 20-plus points on 50-40-90 splits (FG%, 3PT%, FT%) for a season.

RIM PROTECTION AND FOUL SHOOTING

The Valkyries have been the league's best team at protecting the rim this season, allowing just 29.0 paint points per game. Golden State outscored Minnesota in the restricted area in 3-of-4 regular-season games. In their closest matchup of the year, the Valkyries outscored the Lynx by 20 paint points (34-14) in a six-point loss. In addition to the interior success, the other main advantage Golden State has is their free throw shooting. The Valkyries rank third in the league in free throw percentage (81.5 FT%), while the Lynx are second to last (76.0 FT%). Controlling the paint and taking a high volume of free throws are keys to success for the Valkyries.

Check out the Golden State Valkyries Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 12, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central