Janelle Salaun came off the bench to score 20 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Golden State Valkyries defeated the host Seattle Storm 91-80 on the opening night of the WNBA’s 30th season Friday.
Veronica Burton contributed 16 points and six assists, while Kayla Thornton added 13 points and eight rebounds for the second-year Valkyries, who surprised the league by reaching the playoffs in their debut season. Kaitlyn Chen scored a career-high 14 points, all in the second half.
Gabby Williams, returning to Seattle where she spent the previous four seasons, struggled in the first half, missing all five field-goal attempts, but finished with seven points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Zia Cooke added 15 points, and Jade Melbourne scored 13. Rookie Flau’jae Johnson, acquired by Seattle in a draft-night trade after being selected eighth overall by Golden State, chipped in 12 points.
Williams hit a 3-pointer with 6:12 left in the third quarter to extend Golden State’s lead to 56-46. The Valkyries carried a 69-53 advantage into the final period. Their largest lead came at 87-67 following a 3-pointer by Salaun with 2:53 remaining.
The Valkyries shot 41.9% from the field (31 of 74) and 40.5% from beyond the arc (15 of 37). Seattle shot 41.3% (26 of 63) and 34.6% from 3-point range (9 of 26). The Storm held a 41-35 rebounding edge.
Seattle never trailed in the first quarter, leading by as many as seven points, 17-10, after a Cooke 3-pointer with 4:03 left. The Storm made eight of their first 12 field goals, including their first four 3-point attempts. The Valkyries scored the final four points of the opening quarter and the first three of the second, taking their first lead at 27-26 on a jumper by Cecilia Zandalasini.
A Burton jumper followed by a 3-pointer from Kaila Charles put Golden State ahead 31-27. A trey by Thornton extended the lead to 37-30. Thornton hit another 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds left in the half, and Burton added a free throw with four seconds remaining, giving the Valkyries a 49-41 halftime lead—their largest of the half. Burton scored 14 before the break.
