SAN FRANCISCO — It was a second-half surge like no other.
Playing the last-place Connecticut Sun, the Valkyries got off to a sluggish start but caught fire in the third quarter to cruise to a 74-57 win.
Golden State shot 10-of-22 from the 3-point line in the second half and made 13 3s overall in a dominant win.
“I just told them to keep their heads up and continue to let it fly,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Our push was a little bit better in the second half. We don’t know when the 3s are going to fall, whether it’s first, second, third, fourth quarter. We just continue to let it fly. Shoot with a lot of confidence. And that’s what they did.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Cecilia Zandalasini (24) takes a shot against Connecticut Sun’s Marina Mabrey (3) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini each had 17 points in the win. Janelle Salaün added 16 points.
The Valkyries went into halftime with a six-point lead behind 12 first-half points from Hayes. Despite making a third of their shots in the first 20 minutes, the Valkyries held Connecticut standout Marina Mabrey to just two points.
Mabrey finished with three points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field.
“It’s a credit to our matchups,” Nakase said of shutting down Mabrey. “When we bring up our communication, now we’re really dangerous because we’re on point and we’re connected on the defensive end.”
The Valkyries opened the third quarter with a 13-1 run that blew the game open. Zandalasini, Salaün and Hayes combined to score 21 of the Valkyries’ 23 points in the period.
With a big lead, the Valkyries emptied their bench midway through the fourth quarter and got much needed rest for their starters before a critical two-game road trip.
Golden State will play its next game on the road against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday at CareFirst Arena.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Monday’s win over the Sun:
Hayes gets back on track, reaches milestone
Hayes struggled to find a rhythm from the 3-point line the last three games as she was 0-for-7 in that stretch.
But the savvy veteran found a way to get back on track as she made three of her six attempts. It was the first time she made at least three 3-pointers in a game since July 29.
“I think we were just getting into our flow,” Hayes said. “The ball was getting stagnant a little bit, but we just needed to get into our flow. I think we found that out when we were driving and kicking out for our shots.”
Hayes also surpassed Sheryl Swoops for 31st on the all-time scoring list and brought her total to 4,890 career points. She accomplished the feat after scoring on an acrobatic finish in the first quarter.
“That type of accolade is huge,” Nakase said. “When I was little, I looked up to Sheryl Swoops. Credit to Tip for her longevity of her career and keeping her body fresh and then also coming out of retirement.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) scores a 3-point basket against Connecticut Sun’s Mamignan Touré (28) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Rotation still game-to-game
As the Valkyries continue to make their push for the playoffs, Golden State’s rotation seems to have gotten shorter with each game.
Against the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, the Valkyries stuck with a solid eight-woman rotation that included their five starters along with Iliana Rupert, Kaila Charles and Carla Leite. On Monday, Kate Martin took Charles’ spot, playing just under 16 minutes.
Point guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Laeticia Amihere have both been phased out of the lineup in recent games. Center Monique Billings is set to be reevaluated from her ankle sprain next week, which could throw another wrinkle into the lineup puzzle for Nakase.
Nakase said rest is still going to be key for the Valkyries.
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“I’m just literally trying to master it every minute, every moment of rest,” Nakase said. “That’s my way of evaluating. And then with sub patterns, it’s almost the same thing, like I’m literally doing it game by game. So it’s really what it’s called for.
“I don’t just look at just okay, we’re going to play eight in this game. We’re going to play nine. I got to be ready every minute of the game, every time out, to see what’s working and what’s not. Match ups matter too. So being a first year coach, it’s been a great challenge for me.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) fights for a rebound against Connecticut Sun’s Aneesah Morrow (24) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)