Brooklyn, NY— The Golden State Valkyries continued their impressive early-season run Thursday night, using a balanced offensive attack and relentless defense to defeat the New York Liberty 87-70 at Barclays Center.
Gabby Williams led the way for Golden State with 16 points as the Valkyries placed five players in double figures and overwhelmed one of the league’s highest-scoring teams.
Coming into the matchup, New York had been averaging a WNBA-best 100 points per game through its first four contests. But the Liberty struggled to find rhythm offensively against Golden State’s aggressive defensive pressure and physical play throughout the night.
The Valkyries seized control early, jumping out to an 18-9 lead midway through the opening quarter. Golden State maintained the momentum for the remainder of the game, taking an eight-point advantage into halftime before blowing the game open in the third quarter. The Valkyries carried a commanding 63-46 lead into the final period and never allowed New York to mount a serious comeback.
The night also marked the season debut of Satou Sabally, who signed with New York during the offseason in one of the league’s biggest free-agent moves. Sabally returned to action for the first time since suffering a concussion during Game 3 of last year’s WNBA Finals while playing for Phoenix.
The crowd welcomed Sabally warmly during pregame introductions, but the star forward was limited to five points in just over 16 minutes of action as she worked her way back into game shape.
New York also continued to deal with key absences. Star guard Sabrina Ionescu remained sidelined with a foot injury suffered during the preseason, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton missed the game for personal reasons. Leonie Fiebich and Raquel Carrera also have yet to join the team as they complete overseas commitments in Spain.
Despite the shorthanded lineup, Breanna Stewart finished with 18 points for the Liberty, while Jonquel Jones added 16. However, New York struggled from long distance, connecting on just 6 of 24 shots from beyond the arc.
Golden State improved to 3-1 with the victory and continued to show why the second-year franchise is quickly becoming one of the league’s toughest defensive teams.
The Valkyries will travel to Indiana on Friday to complete a back-to-back set, while the Liberty return home Sunday to host Dallas.
