By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 00:41 EDT, 22 May 2025 | Updated: 00:41 EDT, 22 May 2025
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Veronica Burton made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining, another with 29 seconds left on the way to 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, leading the Golden State Valkyries to the expansion franchise's first victory with a 76-74 win against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night.
Kayla Thornton converted a four-point play with 1:03 left and scored 18 points for the Valkyries, cheered on by a dancing Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski among the raucous sellout crowd. Streamers rained down after the final buzzer sounded.
Sonia Citron's 3 for Washington with 5 seconds left made it interesting.
Brittney Sykes scored 30 points and converted two free throws with 1:58 to play to put Washington ahead but the Valkyries knocked down all the big shots in the closing minutes after losing guard Tiffany Hayes to a nose injury late in the first half.
Burton banked in a Stephen Curry-like long 3-pointer to beat the halftime horn and put Golden State ahead 31-30 at the break.
Janelle Salaun scored 10 points and grabbed a key rebound in the waning moments while making her WNBA debut fresh off an Italian League title and Finals MVP honors for Beretta Famila Schio. Her 3-pointer with 2:07 in the first half was the team's first after 17 misses from deep to start the game.
Golden State Valkyries' Stephanie Talbot has her three-point shot blocked by Washington Mystics' Emily Engstler during a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Hayes was helped off the court late in the second quarter and didn't return after taking an arm to the face from Washington´s Shakira Austin and going down for several minutes.
She gave a thumbs up after she was helped off the court and went to the locker room with a towel pressed to her face.
Golden State, beginning its first season and playing at Chase Center that's also home to the NBA Warriors, finished just 7 of 37 from long range.
Washington visits the Las Vegas Aces on Friday. The Valkyries begin their inaugural three-game road trip beginning Friday at the Los Angeles Sparks, who beat Golden State in its opener last Friday.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Former Stanford women's basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer hits the GSV drum before the Golden State Valkyries play the Washington Mystics in a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Washington Mystics' Brittney Sykes collides with Golden State Valkyries' Temi Fagbenle as Janelle Salaun watches during a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)