The Golden State Valkyries fell 69-63 against the Chicago Sky on Wednesday night at Chase Center. It was the first loss of the season for the Valkyries, who opened the season with two victories.

The Valkyries were outscored 45-35 in the second half after leading by as many as 12 points in the first quarter. Both teams had off shooting nights, with the Valkyries shooting 29 percent from the field and Chicago finishing at 36.2 percent.

Gabby Williams scored a team-high 18 points for the Valkyries, with Rickea Jackson tallying 18 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Sky.

BURTON, WILLIAMS LEADS THE OFFENSE
Veronica Burton and Gabby Williams combined for 34 points on Wednesday. Burton hit a pair of clutch threes in the fourth quarter to turn a six-point Valkyries deficit into a tie game.

Burton finished the contest with 16 points and a team-high four assists. Williams recorded 18 points, hitting a team-high three 3-pointers.

STOKES' DEFENSE
Kiah Stokes played a season-high 29 minutes in the contest and had her most productive game of 2026. Stokes recorded seven points, 11 rebounds and a game-high five blocks, her most blocks in a game since June 2024.

“That's who she is," Natalie Nakase said of Stokes postgame. "That's who he has been since the times I was with her in Vegas. She is a force. Her defense is top notch. But then offensively, we knew if we attacked (Kamilla) Cardoza in a drop situation, that she was going to be open, and she definitely took it to her.

"So it was just really good to see that type of movement that we're able to get, and then Kiah finishing on the other end. So I thought she did a fantastic job on both ends, and I thought she actually brought another layer of defense that we can mix in a couple of different coverages.”

CHARLES ON THE GLASS
Kaila Charles recorded nine points and nine rebounds on the night, tying her second highest career rebounding total of her career.

Charles finished 4-for-9 from the field and was extremely effective on the offensive glass, recording five offense rebounds.

QUICK START
The Valkyries got off to a fast start, opening the game on a 17-5 run, limiting the Sky to just 2-for-11 shooting from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

Golden State finished the first quarter with a nine-point advantage, led by Gabby Williams' seven points in the frame.

DEFENSIVE BATTLE
The Valkyries, who rank second in opponent points per game, held Chicago to 24 first half points, including holding them to 0-for-11 from 3-point range.

Chicago's 24 points in the half was the lowest of any team in the WNBA this season.

The Valks also struggled from the field in the second quarter, shooting 4-for-20 from the field, but were able to maintain a four-point going into halftime.

UP NEXT
The Valkyries open up a two-game road trip on Thursday night against the New York Liberty (5 p.m. PT; Prime Video) before meeting the Indiana Fever on Friday night (4:30 p.m. PT; ION).

The Valkyries will then return to Chase Center to host the Connecticut Sun on Monday, May 25 (7 p.m.; KPIX+ (Bay Area) KMAX (Sacramento)), as the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Violet puzzle, presented by California Academy of Sciences.

"There's a lot of positives to take away," Burton said postgame. "Obviously, it's tough to go into a long break off a loss. It feels a lot better after a win, but a lot of good things.

"I think we're still learning each other, too. It's still really early in the season, and so I think just from a game like this is just maintaining control over it; and I think again, especially early, we have that, and then not letting it dip. Even when they do go on a run, like letting it end on the defensive end. I think Kiah (Stokes) got like three in a row of similar shots, and so just kind of making them do something else. So I think overall, we had a pretty solid start. We'd obviously prefer to be 3-0.”

By the Numbers