SAN FRANCISCO — The crowd inside Chase Center went quiet just 38 seconds into the third quarter.
Near midcourt, Valkyries star Kayla Thornton squatted down and clutched the back of her neck with both hands. Thornton, who leads the Valkyries in scoring and is one of the expansion team’s veteran leaders, usually is able to bounce back from the bumps and bruises that come with her physical play.
This time, Thornton went into the locker room and didn’t come back.
To that point, Thornton had struggled as she shot 1-for-9 from the field and had just two points. But throughout the first half, the Seattle Storm hounded the nine-year veteran and gameplanned to throw her off rhythm.
Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries dribbles the ball during the game against the Seattle Storm on June 29, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
As Thornton walked with trainers back to the locker room, Golden State held a nine-point lead. Seattle had the perfect opportunity to start their comeback with the Valkyries’ best player out of the game.
But that never happened.
Without Thornton in the lineup, the Valkyries outscored the Storm 50-30 in the second half and came away with a dominant 84-57 win over the Storm at home.
“The (team) understands the value of KT. Her leadership, her energy, her rebounding, her defense,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after the game. “We all knew it was going to be a collective effort. I think our players followed that game plan to a tee. … I thought the girls really showed up for all four quarters today.”
The Valkyries not only held their own against the Storm’s lengthy defense, they dominated it. Point guards Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton attacked the rim at will and got the ball out in transition early and often.
The duo combined to score 17 points in the third quarter, matching the total amount of points the Storm put up in the period. The team shot 58.8% from the field in the third quarter and pushed their lead to 23 points going into the final period.
Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries dribbles the ball during the game against the Seattle Storm on June 29, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
“We were just sticking to the gameplan,” Hayes said. “I think when we’re spaced and we’re doing what we need to do, that goes over into the games. You get the results that you got there.”
Hayes was the driving force of Sunday’s win, finishing with a season-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. She hit a number of momentum shifting shots in the second half, including a high-arcing pull-up 3 from the left wing that gave the Valkyries a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“I think Tiff has this skill set of being ready, anytime, anywhere, anytime needed,” Nakase said. “She understood when KT went out that she had to step up, and that’s what you saw.
The Valkyries also got it done on defense without Thornton in the second half.
Before she went out of the game, Thornton drew the assignment of guarding sharpshooting Seattle wing Gabby Williams. She held Williams scoreless in the first half, and the Valkyries clamped down on the former UConn star in the final 20 minutes. Williams was held to two points on 1-for-7 shooting in the second half.
The Storm as a team shot 27% from the field – their worst shooting performance of the season. Golden State didn’t allow Seattle to break 20 points in any quarter.
After the game, Seattle star Skylar Diggins and coach Noelle Quinn said they were embarrassed by their performance against the Valkyries.
“It’s unacceptable, and frankly embarrassing to put on a Storm uniform and perform like that. I don’t have to look at the film to understand that the effort wasn’t there,” Quinn said.
“Before she (Kayla Thornton) went down, we were bad. … They got better, and we got worse.”
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With Sunday’s win, the Valkyries finished their five-game home stand going 4-1. The Valkyries will play just two games at home in July and will begin a five-game road trip when they play the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday.
Golden State will get some reinforcements going into their road trip. EuroBasket departures Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini and Julie Vanloo are going to return to the team by the middle of the week.
And luckily for the Valkyries, Thornton’s injury doesn’t look to be too serious..
“She’s being evaluated and I think she’s fine,” Nakase said.
Veronica Burton #22 and Kayla Thornton #5 of the Golden State Valkyries high five during the game against the Seattle Storm on June 29, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)