Valkyries Push Storm to the Brink in 74-73 Heartbreaker, Set Stage for High-Stakes Season Finale

All season long, the Valkyries have consistently kept games (in the words of Valkyries Nation's Eric Apricot), "close enough to hurt." The end of the season is no exception.

The Golden State Valkyries came within a single basket of a dramatic road victory on Tuesday night, but a late Seattle surge capped by a go-ahead jumper from Erica Wheeler with 19 seconds remaining, sealed a 74-73 Storm win at Climate Pledge Arena. With the heartbreaking loss, Thursday’s season finale now carries significant playoff implications, making it a crucial, must-win matchup for Golden State’s postseason positioning.

The result sets up a dramatic finale Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx. With a win, Golden State would secure the No. 6 seed and avoid a tough first-round matchup against the league's top seed. A loss would drop the Valkyries to the eighth seed, matching them against the Lynx to open the playoffs.

The stakes could not be higher, but the team remains confident. “We just got back to what we know our identity is,” Salaün said of their third-quarter surge. “Better defense, rebound the ball after their shots weren’t falling.”

For much of the night, Golden State looked ready to spoil Seattle’s postseason hopes. After a tightly contested first half, the Valkyries exploded in the third quarter, shooting 64.3 percent in the quarter, seemingly breaking the game open and silencing the Seattle crowd.

The period was fueled by a stunning shooting display from Janelle Salaün. The rookie forward poured in a career-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including a blistering 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. Salaün drilled back-to-back threes to ignite a 13-0 run that saw the Valkyries connect on all four of their three-point attempts in the period and build their largest lead of the night, 60-50.

The Storm, however, were desperate to clinch the final playoff spot and answered with poise in the fourth quarter. Seattle opened the frame on a 10-0 run, capped by one of Erica Wheeler’s five three-pointers, to take a 63-61 lead. Golden State’s offense, which had been clicking so well in the third, suddenly cooled. The Valkyries missed 15 of their 20 attempts in the quarter, including several close-range looks.

“They’re a solid defensive team, they're physical the entire game,” guard Veronica Burton said. “We missed some layups around the rim, they're long, they're lengthy. Yeah, shots weren’t falling, 12 points is tough.”

Even so, Golden State refused to back down. Iliana Rupert, who posted a team-best +9 on the night, hit a clutch 26-foot three-pointer with 37.4 seconds remaining to give the Valkyries a 73-72 edge.

But the Storm capitalized on a second-chance possession when Nneka Ogwumike grabbed an offensive rebound, setting up Wheeler’s decisive mid-range giving Seattle the lead for good.

Salaün had two late opportunities to reclaim the game—first on a driving layup and then a corner three after a Kate Martin offensive rebound but both missed the mark. Wheeler corralled the final rebound, and time expired with the Valkyries just one point short.

Burton was again the engine for Golden State, tallying 14 points and 11 assists for her fifth career points-assists double-double. She also stressed the importance of learning from the game as the Valkyries gear up for the postseason. “Controlling your controllables, doing what we talked about doing, playing our basketball,” she said. “Obviously (the next game) it's important for seeding, so we need to all understand that and be on the same page about it and get the job done.”

Temi Fágbénlé added 14 points and six rebounds, while Kaila Charles was a force on the glass with a season-best nine boards to go with 12 points and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Monique Billings contributed all five of Golden State’s bench points, and Rupert’s timely shooting kept the Valkyries within striking distance.

Despite the loss, Golden State forced 13 turnovers and limited Seattle to 40.6 percent shooting, a testament to the defensive identity head coach Natalie Nakase has instilled. “Defensively we started out great, but we just have to continue to execute and understand every possession matters,” Nakase said. “We had a great third quarter. We just have to be mindful of who am I putting in, what are the matchups down the stretch? I can't make any errors down the stretch.”

Though Golden State came up just short in Seattle, their relentless effort, fierce determination, and flashes of brilliance on Tuesday demonstrated why they stand on the precipice of emerging into the WNBA's top tier.

Valkyries fans must endure one more white-knuckle regular-season game to determine their team’s playoff seeding. No pain, no gain.

UP NEXT

• Golden State wraps up the regular season against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, September 11 at 5:00 p.m. PT on KPIX, KMAX, KION and the Audacy App.
• For tickets, news, and more team updates, visit valkyries.wnba.com.