Golden State Valkyries at Seattle Storm
· Women's National Basketball AssociationJanelle Salaun's 20 points, 5 3-pointers lead the Valkyries past the Storm 91-80 in season opener
Kaitlyn Chen scored all 14 of her points in the second half and Kayla Thornton added 13 for Golden State, which led 49-41 at halftime and 69-53 after three quarters. Seven different Valkyries made a 3-pointer and the team finished 15 of 37 from distance.
Gabby Williams, Golden State’s marquee offseason addition, had seven points, six rebounds and four assists in her return to Seattle where she played from 2022-25.
Dominique Malonga led Seattle with 21 points and Zia Cooke added 15 off the bench. Jade Melbourne scored 13 and Flau’jae Johnson, the No. 8 selection in the WNBA draft, had 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Seattle is expected to be without starter Ezi Magbegor for six to eight weeks due to a right foot injury.
Golden State had two players leave with injuries in the first half and neither returned. Starter Tiffany Hayes left with a left pinky injury in the first quarter and Cecilia Zandalasini sustained a jaw injury in the second.
Seattle travels to play Connecticut on Sunday.
Regular Season Series
GS leads series 2-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 91 - 80 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 91 - 80 |
| 4th 7.9 |  |
Dominique Malonga makes free throw 2 of 2 | 91 - 80 |
| 4th 7.9 | |
Storm offensive team rebound | 91 - 79 |
| 4th 7.9 | |
Dominique Malonga misses free throw 1 of 2 | 91 - 79 |
Statistics
 GS |
 SEA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 31-74 | FG | 26-63 |
| 42 | Field Goal % | 41 |
| 15-37 | 3PT | 9-26 |
| 41 | Three Point % | 35 |
| 14-22 | FT | 19-27 |
| 64 | Free Throw % | 70 |
| 35 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 13 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 22 | Defensive Rebounds | 28 |
| 22 | Assists | 16 |
| 5 | Steals | 4 |
| 5 | Blocks | 5 |
| 9 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 9 | Total Turnovers | 14 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 2 |
| 5 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 12 |
| 2 | Fast Break Points | 9 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 23 | Fouls | 22 |
| 20 | Largest Lead | 7 |
| 3 | Lead Changes | 3 |
| 72 | Percent Led | 25 |
Game Information
Location: Seattle, WA
Attendance: 14,200 · Capacity:
2025-26 Western Conference Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Minnesota |
- | 6 | W8 | 0.79310346 | 23 |
 Las Vegas |
3 | 8 | W1 | 0.7037037 | 19 |
 Golden State |
3.5 | 9 | L2 | 0.6785714 | 19 |
 Dallas |
4.5 | 10 | L1 | 0.64285713 | 18 |
 Portland |
11.5 | 17 | L3 | 0.39285713 | 11 |
 Phoenix |
12 | 18 | W3 | 0.37931034 | 11 |
 Los Angeles |
12 | 17 | L6 | 0.37037036 | 10 |
 Seattle |
17.5 | 24 | L7 | 0.2 | 6 |
WNBA News
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— Kahleah Copper scored 27 points and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Golden State Valkyries 91-89 on Wednesday night in the return from the All-Star break for both teams.
Gray and Reese lead the Dream past the Wings, 82-81
— Allisha Gray scored five of her 25 points in the closing seconds and the Atlanta Dream overcame a 15-point deficit to beat the Dallas Wings 82-81 on Wednesday night in the first game for both teams since the All-Star break.
Storm apologize after co-owner confronts fans for Cunningham support
The Storm apologized Wednesday for an exchange that took place between one of their co-owners and two fans who thanked Sophie Cunningham in the wake of her comments supporting barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports.