The Golden State Valkyries' bench outscored the Indiana Fever's by 28 points in their 87-77 victory at Chase Center on Thursday. Every Valkyrie reserve that played scored at least nine points, paced by Tiffany Hayes' 14 points and Chloe Bibby's 12 points. Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries with 16 points and a season-high five made threes. Golden State played stellar defense on Fever star Caitlin Clark, containing her to just 11 points and zero made 3-pointers. Earning their sixth win of the season, the Valkyries surpassed the win total of the previous two WNBA expansion teams in just 12 games.

BIBBY IMPACTFUL OFF THE BENCH
Chloe Bibby played in her first WNBA game and scored her first career points on Thursday. Bibby's first career bucket came off a dive and seal at the rim for a layup. She then showcased her range, sinking two catch-and-shoot threes, which gave her eight points in her first nine minutes. Bibby finished with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting in 24 minutes.

VALKYRIES CONTAIN CLARK
The Valkyries welcomed superstar Caitlin Clark to the Bay with suffocating defense, limiting her to just two points on 1-for-8 shooting in the first half. Golden State consistently threw multiple bodies at Clark, forcing her to make the right read as a playmaker. She dished out six assists in the half, often finding her big Aliyah Boston rolling to the rim. In large part due to the Valkyries' defensive game plan, Boston became the focal point of the Fever offense and she beat the halftime buzzer with a trail 3-pointer assisted by Clark. Clark finished with 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting and 0-for-7 from deep.

MARTIN THE MOMENTUM SHIFTER
Every bucket Kate Martin scored on Thursday carried much momentum, with her highlight reel moments energizing both the players and the Chase Center crowd. Three of Martin's baskets were post fadeaways, utilizing her size advantage in isolation to rise over her defender. Her third fadeaway came over her former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark, capping a 10-2 Valkyries run. She was responsible for half of the points during that spurt, hitting a top-of-the-key 3-pointer on the previous possession. Martin tallied nine points on 4-for-7 shooting with five rebounds.

SEASON-HIGH FIVE THREES FOR THORNTON
Kayla Thornton drained two of her season-high five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Valkyries. Thornton has made multiple threes in five straight games. The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week is building her case to represent the franchise in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. 

AMIEHERE'S CAREER-HIGH FOUR BLOCKS
Laetitia Amihere held a block party at Chase Center on Thursday, swatting a career-high four shots. Her final swat was the most emphatic, packing the ball into the stands and mean mugging towards the passionate crowd. 

UP NEXT
The Valkyries will remain at Chase Center to host the Connecticut Sun at Chase Center on Sunday (5:30 p.m. PT). Northern California fans can watch at KPIX (Bay Area) or KMAX (Sacramento).