The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 95-68 at Chase Center on Saturday afternoon, their largest win in franchise history. The win was the first Commissioner’s Cup victory for the Valkyries, who now move to 1-2 in the in-season competition.

Veronica Burton filled the stat sheet for the Valkyries in the win, finishing with 14 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. It was the first double-double of her career and she became the first player in the WNBA this season to record 14+ PTS, 12+ AST and 7+ REB. She also led the game with a plus-40 plus-minus.

Burton was one of three players for the Valkyries to record a double-double (Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings), while Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 18 points.

THORNTON'S QUICK START AND CAREER-HIGH
Kayla Thornton got off to a fast start on Saturday, scoring the first five points of the game. Her first bucket came from taking Jewell Loyd off the dribble, spinning to her left and hitting a fadeaway. On the next possession, Thornton pulled up from 27 feet after a Janelle Salaün screen gave her open space to connect from distance.

"I thought KT started us off amazing," Head Coach Natalie Nakase said postgame. "She was super confident, she walked right into her threes. She was agressive attacking players, so just a great start with a ton of confidence."

Thornton finished the contest with a career-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

MARTIN'S IMPACT
Kate Martin was the first Valkyrie off the bench and instantly made her presence felt against her old team, scoring on A'ja Wilson on her first possession.

Martin then closed out the first half with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to give the Valkyries a 21-point lead going into the second half.

Martin finished the game with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds.

BILLINGS' DEFENSE
Monique Billings anchored the Valkyries defense and had the tough task of guarding A'ja Wilson in her 25 minutes of action. She finished the game with 2 blocks and 2 steals, including a highlight-reel block against Jackie Young in the second quarter.

"Mo is all about energy," Natalie Nakase said about what Billings brings to the floor. "I think what I love about Mo is her off the court, that she prepares. She does everything for her mental and her physical. She is a complete pro, so she knows when she goes on the court, you just feel it, you see it.

"Just bringing the energy and you can feel that crowd as soon as she walks up to that table, the crowd just responds to her. Credit to Mo."

Billings recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and collecting 11 rebounds on the afternoon.

SECOND QUARTER SURGE
After holding on to a two-point lead after the first frame, the Valkyries opened up the second quarter on an 11-3 run to take a double-digit lead.

The Valkyries outscored the Aces 33-15 in the second quarter after shooting 10-for-16 (62.5%) from the field and 4-for-8 (50%) from 3-point range. Defensively, the Valkyries held the Aces to just 25 percent shooting from the field.

ZANDALASINI'S CAREER-HIGH
Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 18 points in the victory. Zandalasini was an efficient 5-for-9 from the field, including making 3-of-4 3-point attempts, while knocking down all five free throw attempts.

UP NEXT
The Valkyries head on the road and will meet the Los Angeles Sparks for the third time this season on Monday (7 p.m.; KPIX+ (Bay Area) KMAX (Sacramento)). The two teams have split the first two matchups, with the road team winning each matchup. The Valkyries fell 84-67 in the regular season opener on May 16, before beating the Sparks 82-73 in Los Angeles on May 23.