The Liberty improved to 5-0 after Thursday’s 82-77 win over the Valkyries, and are now tied with the Lynx for the best record in the WNBA.
Despite being big underdogs in this game, the Valkryies gave New York all it could handle on Thursday.
Golden State was led by rookie Janelle Saluan who tied her career-high with 18 points. She didn’t shoot particularly well, going just 7-of-19 from the field, but she pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds and was just one of three Valykyries to not have a negative plus/minus on the evening.
As for the Liberty, they were led by veterans Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 27 and 24 points, respectively. Stewart was very efficient, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor and 15-of-19 from the free throw line. Ionescu only shot 7-for-21, but six of those were from behind the arc.
New York’s second leading scorer on the season, Natasha Cloud, had a poor night offensively with just seven points. However, she did add five rebounds and five assists and led New York in plus/minus by posting a +14 for the game.
The Liberty play again on Friday night against the Mystics, while the Valkyries will host the Lynx on Sunday.