The Valkyries completed their regular-season sweep of the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night, winning 92-82 at a sold-out Chase Center. Golden State took all three matchups against the expansion franchise this year.
Janelle Salaün led the charge off the bench with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Over the three Tempo vs Valkyries meetings, she totaled 61 points — the highest she's tallied against any single opponent this season.
Her teammate, Kayla Thornton, set the tone early, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers within the first three minutes. She added two more after halftime and finished with a season-high 20 points.
But those baskets didn't come easy.
Tempo vs Valkyries Tide Turns in the 2nd Quarter
The Tempo built a 38-25 lead midway through the second quarter behind sharp perimeter shooting. Nyara Sabally paced Toronto with 22 points. Marina Mabrey returned from a neck injury to log 12 points over 35 minutes.
Still, the Valkyries managed to claw their way back, closing the half on a 16-4 run to pull within one at the break.
By the end of the night, they'd surged ahead. Veronica Burton padded the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists while Gabby Williams added another 10 points and seven rebounds.
The win moves Golden State to 20-9, ranked second in the Western Conference behind Las Vegas. Toronto, meanwhile, has now lost seven in a row and 11 of its last 12.
