SAN FRANCISCO — The duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, made their presence known in the Minnesota Lynx’s win over the Valkyries.
Minnesota’s dynamic guard duo, who are also viral online streamers, combined for 38 points as the league-best Lynx snapped the Valkyries’ five-game winning streak with a 78-72 victory at Chase Center on Saturday night.
Hiedeman had 24 points off the bench and Williams scored 14 points to lead the Lynx to their 33rd win of the season.
“I think we hung our heads a little bit, and then in transition, they were just getting open looks,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said of Hiedeman and Williams. “I think that our lack of communication in transition was super poor.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 6: Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries dribbles with the ball in the first quarter against Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center on September 6, 2025 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/Getty Images)
Janelle Salaün, Kaila Charles and Iliana Rupert each had 15 points in the loss.
MVP candidate Napheesa Collier scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Golden State entered the third quarter with a five-point lead and looked poised to pull away as the home team built its lead to as big as seven on a driving layup from Charles early in the period.
But the Valkyries had no answer for Williams and Hiedeman, who combined for 16 of Minnesota’s 30 third-quarter points.
“We knew that they like to punch first in the third quarter,” Charles said. “They just had a lot of tough buckets. I think we had some good defenses, and they just hit tough shots and then also offensive rebounds. They got a couple extra possessions and then they got the momentum.”
The Valkyries got back to within striking distance in the final period.
A pick-and-pop 3-pointer from Iliana Rupert cut the Lynx lead to three with 1:18 left. Minnesota responded with a pair of made free throws from Hiedeman, but Veronica Burton trimmed the Lynx advantage to two on and-1 layup on the ensuing possession.
Collier closed the door on the Valkyries on the very next play when she hit a mid-range jumper with 36.2 seconds remaining to give Minnesota a four-point lead.
Despite holding Collier to low-efficiency game, Nakase wasn’t happy with how her team guarded the five-time All-Star.
“It was still 20 points,” Nakase said. “She got 16 shots up. So no, I’m not happy. I’m not happy too because we lost. I’m not having it with 20 points. I mean, we got to make sure we get out there on her 3’s. She was popping almost every pick-and-roll, so we just got to clean that up.”
Both teams traded baskets for the majority of the first half, but Golden State finished the first half strong.
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A stepback 3-pointer from Salaün and a cutting layup from Charles gave the Valkyries a 36-31 advantage at halftime.
Charles and Salaün combined to score 18 points through the first two quarters.
The Valkyries will end the regular season with a 14-8 home record. Golden State will travel to Seattle on Tuesday before ending the year with a road game at Minnesota.