Veronica Burton set a season-high with 13 assists and didn’t commit a single turnover in the Valkyries’ 79-60 victory over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Thursday. Burton nearly had as many assists as the entire Liberty roster, which had 14 assists but committed nine turnovers. She battled through bumps and bruises throughout the night to finish a plus-17 in 27 minutes. The Valkyries led by as many as 19 points in the win and held the Liberty to a season-low in scoring. 

Cecilia Zandalasini scored a game-high 20 points and made a career-high eight field goals.  Zandalasini and Gabby Williams each made a game-high-tying four 3-pointers as Golden State outscored New York by 18 points from behind the arc. The Valkyries also had an 18-point advantage in bench scoring. They completed the season series sweep of the Liberty, becoming the only team to accomplish that feat against New York this year. 

BURTON SETS SEASON-HIGH WITH 13 ASSISTS
Veronica Burton was a maestro with the ball in her hands, perfectly carving up the Liberty defense for 13 assists and zero turnovers. Burton becomes just the third player in the WNBA this season to have at least 13 assists and zero turnovers in a game, joining Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada and Toronto Tempo guard Julie Allemand. She is the second player in WNBA history to do it multiple times, joining Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot. Burton’s passing generated 32 points for the Valkyries’ offense as she assisted on six 3-pointers and seven baskets inside the arc. 

ZANDALASINI BREAKS GAME OPEN IN SECOND QUARTER
The Valkyries broke the game open in the second quarter, going on a 24-8 run. Not only was Cecilia Zandalasini the team’s top scorer, but she also matched the entire Liberty roster with 11 points in the quarter. Zandalasini made half of her career-high eight field goals in the quarter, including three 3-pointers. Thursday marked her fourth career 20-point game. 

VALKYRIES DEFENSE STIFIES POTENT OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Valkyries have now held the Liberty to their three lowest-scoring games of the season, after limiting them to just 60 points on Thursday. The Liberty entered Thursday’s game having scored at least 80 points in 16 straight games. Golden State has the best defensive rating in the WNBA and has continued its run of shutting down premier offensive weapons. In this game, they held four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu to just seven points on 2-for-12 shooting and 1-for-9 from behind the arc. The Liberty collectively shot just 30.2% from the field and 22.6% from three. 

UP NEXT
After winning both games of their first back-to-back of the season, the Valkyries will have two days off before facing the Fire in Portland on Sunday.