Valkyries Celebrate Mother’s Day with Dominant 95-79 Win Over Mercury

SAN FRANCISCO — On Mother’s Day in Ballhalla, the Golden State Valkyries handled business in electrifying fashion, word to your mother.

The Mother’s Day atmosphere inside Chase Center felt special long before tipoff Sunday night, as another sold-out crowd of 18,064 packed Ballhalla to watch the Golden State Valkyries earn a statement 95-79 victory over the Mercury. This is the Valkyries’ first ever victory over Phoenix, failing in four contests last season.

Purple flowers were handed out throughout the arena by the promotions team, heartfelt video messages to mothers played on the big screen, and Olympic freestyle skiing legend Eileen Gu energized the crowd by sounding the ceremonial drum before the game.

By the end of the night, the Valkyries had turned an emotional Mother’s Day celebration into one of the most complete wins in franchise history.

Slow Start for Golden State

The game did not begin smoothly for Golden State. Phoenix stormed out to a 7-0 lead while shooting a blistering 5-for-5 from the field, including a three-pointer, as the Valkyries struggled to find rhythm offensively.

Golden State opened just 1-for-9 overall and 1-for-7 from deep, and the Mercury briefly looked ready to spoil the festive night in San Francisco. Impressive rookie Jovana Nogic helped Phoenix build momentum early by scoring the game’s first five points, and the Phoenix Mercury pushed their advantage to nine points, their largest lead of the night.

But even during the rough start, the energy inside Ballhalla never disappeared. A three-pointer from Janelle Salaün finally ended the offensive drought, and rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen entered the game and immediately injected life into the Valkyries. Despite the cold shooting numbers early in the quarter, Golden State slowly clawed back into the contest and cut the deficit to 20-17 by the end of the opening period.

Second Quarter Explosion Turns the Game

The second quarter completely changed the game. With legendary Bay Area performer Sheila E. sitting courtside ahead of her halftime performance, the Valkyries delivered their own show on the floor.

Laeticia Amihere tied the game at 20-20 with a strong and-one finish, igniting the crowd and beginning a dominant stretch of basketball that overwhelmed Phoenix. Moments later, Gabby Williams buried a three-pointer to give Golden State its first lead at 25-23, and from there the Valkyries never looked back.

Golden State exploded on a 33-8 run that completely flipped the game. The Valkyries’ defense tightened dramatically, generating steals, deflections and transition opportunities that energized the building.

Williams found Kayla Thornton with a beautiful long-distance outlet pass that brought the entire crowd to its feet, while Thornton repeatedly attacked the Mercury defense during a brilliant first half.

Golden State outscored Phoenix 31-11 in the second quarter while shooting nearly 70 percent from the floor, transforming a sluggish start into a commanding 48-31 halftime advantage.

Thornton and Amihere Lead the Defensive Charge

Thornton scored 14 first-half points and later explained the defensive mindset that fueled the turnaround.

“Yeah, we pride ourselves on defense,” Thornton said postgame. “We played a great team, they have a big three, AT (Alyssa Thomas), DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper, and the emphasis was to be tough with them because they are a very physical team.”

Amihere quietly delivered one of the best all-around performances of her career, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks while posting a game-best +33 rating.

Gabby Williams Showcases Her Versatility

Gabby Williams once again delivered the type of all-around performance that makes her one of the most versatile players on the floor every night. Williams impacted the game in nearly every area, finishing with 19 points, four steals and strong defensive pressure while also helping ignite Golden State’s transition offense with her playmaking ability.

Her versatility became especially valuable during the Valkyries’ dominant second-quarter run, as her energy, instincts and unselfish play helped completely shift momentum in Golden State’s favor.

Head coach Natalie Nakase praised Williams afterward.

“I think her versatility to guard multiple positions,” Nakase said. “Gabby can guard one through five. I think she does a great job with her physicality when in the post, and she has these active, long hands that are dangerous.”

Salaün Takes Over in the Fourth Quarter

Phoenix made one final push after halftime, opening the third quarter on an 8-0 run and slowly chipping away at the lead. The Mercury cut the margin to just 73-70 midway through the fourth quarter, briefly creating tension inside Chase Center. But every time Phoenix threatened, Salaün answered.

The French forward was sensational once again, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting while knocking down 4-of-5 from three-point range. One clutch three-pointer midway through the fourth helped spark a decisive 10-0 Valkyries run that finally buried the Mercury for good.

“I’m just trying to bring energy whenever I’m coming on the court,” Salaün said afterward. “Also, my teammates are doing a great job finding me.”

Salaun and Thornton Playing Big

Thornton and Salaün also embraced one of the toughest assignments of the night, playing the four and five despite giving up size in the matchup.

What they lacked in height, they made up for with heart, grit and toughness, constantly battling inside against Phoenix’s bigger frontcourt players. Their physicality and fearless approach became contagious as the Valkyries imposed their style of play on both ends of the floor.

Burton Controls the Game

Veronica Burton orchestrated everything beautifully from the point guard position, recording her sixth career double-double with 13 points and 12 assists while committing zero turnovers. Burton also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line as Golden State’s offense continued to hum late in the game.

Nakase was especially proud of how her team responded after the shaky start.

“We kind of tiptoed a little bit into this game, but we ramped up our defense for sure,” Nakase said. “You can never rest versus this team. This team has a lot of fight, but I was proud of our team for continuing to battle through all the punches that they threw.”

Ballhalla Continues to Shine

Golden State improved to 2-0 on the young season while extending the franchise’s incredible regular-season sellout streak to 23 consecutive games.

Most importantly, the night perfectly captured the growing connection between the team and its fanbase.

On a Mother’s Day evening filled with purple flowers, roaring crowds, and another electric Ballhalla atmosphere, the Valkyries once again showed why Chase Center has quickly become one of the WNBA’s toughest and most vibrant home environments.

UP NEXT

• Golden State welcomes Chicago to Chase Center this Wednesday, May 13, airing on KPIX+, KMAX, 95.7 The Game, and The Audacy App.
• For tickets, news, and more team updates, visit valkyries.wnba.com.