San Francisco, CA- Kate Martin poured in a career-high 21 points, including 14 in a dramatic fourth quarter, but the Golden State Valkyries came up short in an 81-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Wednesday night at Chase Center.
Golden State came out firing, hitting a season-high six 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 32-29 lead. Tiffany Hayes scored 12 of her 15 points while Stephanie Talbot added 13 points with a pair of threes in the first quarter.
Veronica Burton kept the offense humming with 10 assists and no turnovers—her second career double-digit assist game without a giveaway. She’s now averaging 5.3 assists per game, eighth in the league.
Veteran forward Kayla Thornton also stepped up in her third meeting against her former team, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds, with seven of her points coming in the second half.
Martin hit four 3-pointers in the fourth, nearly leading the Valkyries to a comeback against the defending champs. Her final shot, an off-balance triple with 12.2 seconds left, cut the deficit to one, but Golden State couldn’t convert a game-tying attempt in the closing seconds. “I was ice cold in the first half and so, shoutout to my team for continuing to pass me the ball,” Martin said.
The loss drops the Valkyries to 7-7 overall and 0-3 against the Liberty this season. New York (11-3) remains atop the Eastern Conference, led by Breanna Stewart’s 23 points and a 20-point spark off the bench from Kennedy Burke.
Despite the narrow loss, head coach Lindsey Nakase lauded her team’s togetherness. “What I’m so proud about this team is that they continue to fight together,” she said. “They don’t split. They don’t separate. And that to me, is what I’m most proud of, for all of them tonight.”
