Valkyries Lose Fourth Quarter Lead in Commissioner's Cup Loss to Mercury

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WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Valkyries Lose Fourth Quarter Lead in Commissioner's Cup Loss to Mercury

June 6, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


The Golden State Valkyries surrendered an eight-point fourth-quarter lead in their 86-77 Commissioner's Cup loss to the Mercury in Phoenix on Thursday. The Valkyries won their first preseason game in Phoenix, but were unable to secure their first Commissioner's Cup win in the same building. Golden State had five players score in double figures and Janelle Salaün nearly joined them with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting. Veronica Burton was the Valkyries' top scorer with 16 points and did most of her damage from the free throw line, going 9-for-11. Her aggression was evident on both ends of the floor.

Undrafted rookie Lexi Held led the Mercury and all scorers with 24 points and four 3-pointers - she scored the most points by a rookie so far this season. Star forward Satou Sabally stepped up down the stretch with 15 of her 19 points in the second half. The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter and the Valkyries built their lead up to as many as eight points, but the Mercury ended it on a 18-1 run.

STEALS FUEL STRONG START

The Valkyries entered Thursday's game fourth in the league in steals per game (8.8) and their defense helped them jump out to an early 9-3 lead. The Valkyries nabbed five steals in the first five minutes, two by Veronica Burton and one by Kayla Thornton, who both rank top-five in the league in that category. Thornton leads the league with 2.5 steals per game, while Burton is tied for fifth with 2.0 steals per contest. Golden State forced 14 Mercury turnovers in the first half, taking a one-point lead into the locker room.

THORNTON REACHES 2,000 CAREER POINTS

With her first basket of the game, Kayla Thornton reached 2,000 career points. Thornton converted a put-back layup in the third quarter for her milestone bucket, overcoming a scoreless first half. Thornton leveled up in the second half, scoring 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting after zero points on 0-for-4 shooting in the first half.

FÁGBÉNLÉ STUFFS THE STAT SHEET

Temi Fágbénlé became the first player in Valkyries' franchise history to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a game. Fágbénlé finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

MONEY MARTIN'S BIRTHDAY SHARPSHOOTING

Fresh off her career-high performance at Chase Center on Sunday, Kate Martin celebrated her 25th birthday in Phoenix on Thursday. Martin's sharpshooting carried over on her special day as she made two of her three 3-point attempts. She was a fixture in the rotation after seeing her minutes fluctuate over the first couple of games, playing the second-most minutes among reserves (14).

ZANDALASINI'S FIRST VALKYRIES START

Cecilia Zandalasini earned her first start as a Valkyrie on Thursday, replacing injured guard Tiffany Hayes. Zandalasini finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four steals in 30 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Valkyries will continue Commissioner's Cup play back at Chase Center hosting the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday at 12 p.m. Fans not in attendance can watch on ABC.

Check out the Golden State Valkyries Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 6, 2025


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