The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Seattle Storm 91-80 at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday night in the team's opening game of 2026.
Janelle Salaün scored a team-high 20 points, with Veronica Burton adding 16 points and a team-high six assists.
Golden State made 15 3-pointers, one short of the franchise record.
“We came out with a win, obviously, which is good," Natalie Nakase said postgame. "You can see there's just a little bit of nerves from the jump, but once we got into a rhythm on both ends, we played like Valkyries defense."
Highlights: Golden State Valkyries 91 - Seattle Storm 80 | 5/8/26
SALAÜN FROM DISTANCE
Janelle Salaün hit a career-high-tying five 3-pointers in Friday's win, scoring a team-high 20 points. Salaün shot 7-for-16 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
"It's good to see that her confidence is super high," Nakase said. "That's normal Ja (Janelle Salaün). She told me she wanted to challenge more defensively, and so I could put her in any coverage. So it's really good to see her evolve and take the onus of it; and she's really loud out there on the floor."
Janelle Salaün Records 20 Points, Hitting 5 3-Pointers vs. Storm - 5/8/26
CHEN SCORES CAREER-HIGH
Second-year guard Kaitlyn Chen scored a career-high 14 points in the victory, scoring all 14 in the second half. Chen was able to finish at all three levels, showcasing her ability to finish at the rim, while also splashing a pair of threes.
“I just felt more comfortable as the game went on," Kaitlyn Chen said postgame. "And I feel like it's just nothing different than what we've been working on in practice. When we're able to execute, we look good.”
Kaitlyn Chen Scores Career-High 14 Points vs. Storm - 5/8/26
FOUR PLAYERS DEBUT
Gabby Williams, Kiah Stokes, Miela Sowah and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda all made their Valkyrie debuts in the contest.
Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes got the start on Friday. Williams filled the box score with seven points, six rebounds and four assists, while Stokes added six points, four rebounds, three assists and a game-high three blocks.
Sowah and Mwenentanda made their first career WNBA appearances, both closing out the game in the final minutes.
KAYLA GETS THINGS STARTED
Kayla Thornton, who scored the first basket in Valkyries history in 2025, once again scored the first bucket of the season in 2026. Thornton took a Tiffany Hayes pass and hit a 3-pointer from 26 feet.
Thornton finished the game with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
BURTON SCORES 14 IN FIRST HALF
Veronica Burton, the 2025 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player, picked up right where she left off last season, scoring 14 points in the first half.
Burton recorded 16 points and six assists in a team-high 31 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Valkyries will host their regular season home opener on Sunday, May 10 against the Phoenix Mercury (5:30 p.m.; KPIX+ (Bay Area) KMAX (Sacramento)) before hosting the Chicago Sky on Wednesday, May 13 (7 p.m.; KPIX+ (Bay Area) KMAX (Sacramento)).
Janelle Salaün and Kaitlyn Chen Postgame Press Conference | 5/8/26
Natalie Nakase Postgame Press Conference | 5/8/26
Janelle Salaün Postgame (ION) | 5/8/26
By the Numbers
- Golden State set a franchise record with 48 bench points, led by Janelle Salaün’s 20 in 27 minutes of action.
- Kaitlyn Chen dropped a career-high 14 points, seven of which came in the third quarter which is a career high in any quarter for Chen.
- Salaün had five made threes, tying her career high for made threes in a game which also came against Seattle (Sept. 9, 2025).
- Veronica Burton had 16 points to go with six assists, her third-straight double-digit scoring performance and sixth in her last seven games dating back to last season. Burton also made two threes on the night, and now has 101 in her career.
- Kayla Thornton returned to action with 13 points and eight rebounds, all of which came in the second half.
- Kaila Charles had six rebounds and was a game-high +18 in 17 minutes off the bench.
- It's Golden State’s first win in Seattle after going 0-2 in the Emerald City last season.
- The Valkyries put together a 21-8 run for nearly six minutes going into the second quarter, and didn’t trail the rest of the game.
- The Valkyries held Seattle to just 12 points on 18.8 percent (3-16) shooting from the field in the third.
- Seven Valkyries players made a three pointer, amounting to 15 on the night which is tied for the second-most in a game in team history.
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