Key facts
- Janelle Salaun scored 22 points and made five 3-pointers for the Golden State Valkyries.
- Gabby Williams contributed 19 points against her former team, the Seattle Storm.
- The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Seattle Storm 76-72.
- Natisha Hiedeman scored a career-high 26 points for the Seattle Storm.
- The Seattle Storm have lost eight consecutive games.
Janelle Salaun scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers, and Gabby Williams added 19 points against her former team to lead the Golden State Valkyries to a 76-72 victory over the Seattle Storm on Friday night. Salaun's late 3-pointer had given the Valkyries a 69-57 lead with just over four minutes remaining, but Golden State struggled offensively down the stretch, making only one field goal in the final minutes.
Seattle mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to 71-70 and regaining possession. However, a missed layup attempt by Flau’jae Johnson and subsequent free throws by Golden State's Tiffany Hayes and Williams, coupled with a late block by Kiah Stokes, sealed the win for the Valkyries.
Hayes finished with 17 points off the bench, and Veronica Burton contributed 11 points and eight assists for Golden State, who improved to 8-5. Williams made all five of her free throws, helping the Valkyries shoot 20 of 23 from the line. For the Storm (3-12), Natisha Hiedeman had a career-high 26 points with five 3-pointers, but the team extended its losing streak to eight games. Salaun had scored 13 points in the first half, helping Golden State lead 40-38 at halftime, and the team built its largest lead of 59-44 in the third quarter.