Tiffany Hayes a Sharpshooter in Valkyries' Loss to Lynx

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WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Tiffany Hayes a Sharpshooter in Valkyries' Loss to Lynx

July 5, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


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, the WNBA's leading scorer, 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. With the loss, the Valkyries fall to 9-8.

THORNTON AND HAYES SCORE VALKYRIES' FIRST 21 POINTS

Kayla Thornton (11 points) and Tiffany Hayes (10 points) combined to score the Valkyries' first 21 points, including all 18 in the first quarter. The Valkyries jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but the Lynx stormed back with a 14-0 run. Thornton and Hayes combined to make eight of their first 13 field goal attempts, while the rest of the team missed their first eight shots. Kate Martin was the first player to join Thornton and Hayes in the scoring column, sinking a corner three.

VOLUME 3-POINT SHOOTING VALKYRIES

The Valkyries entered Saturday's game as the league's highest-volume 3-point shooting team (30.1 3PA), but also the least efficient from behind the arc (28.7 3PT%). The Valkyries had some early success from distance on Saturday, making nine of their first 20 3-point attempts well into the third quarter, but then went cold, missing their next seven shots from behind the arc. Tiffany Hayes led the way, shooting 5-for-6 from deep, while the rest of the team shot 6-for-26.

NAKASE FRESH OFF COACH OF THE MONTH AWARD

Head Coach Natalie Nakase coached her first game in July, following winning the Coach of the Month award for June. Nakase led the Valkyries to a 7-4 record in June, becoming the first Coach of the Month in franchise history and winning the award for the first time in her second month as head coach. The Valkyries had the second-best defensive rating (95.4 DEFRTG) and net rating (+8.6 NETRTG) in June, only training the Lynx in both categories.

UP NEXT

The Valkyries head to Atlanta to battle to Dream on Monday at 4:30 p.m. PT. Bay Area fans can watch on KPIX, while Sacramento fans can tune in on KMAX.

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