Valkyries Rout Wings 104-80 in Game 1 Behind Record 3-Point Barrage
Written by laserteam on September 28, 2026
(Yahoo Sports) – The Golden State Valkyries outscored the Dallas Wings 37-11 in the second quarter Sunday night at Chase Center and closed the half on a 20-3 run over the final four minutes. The final was 104-80 in the opener of the best-of-three first-round series.
The 104 points were the most in franchise history, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported. Golden State made 18 of its 36 3-point attempts, which tied the franchise record for a game.
Those 18 3s are the second-most by a team in a WNBA playoff game. The Las Vegas Aces made 23 in Game 2 of the 2022 semifinals, per ESPN.
Six Valkyries made at least two 3-pointers. No team in league history had done that before, according to ESPN.
Cecilia Zandalasini led all scorers with 22 points and went 4-of-5 from deep. Tiffany Hayes scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including three 3s. Gabby Williams finished with 20 points and 4 assists, and Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, and Kaitlyn Chen each made two 3-pointers.
Twelve of the Valkyries’ made 3s came on contested attempts. That is the second-most by a team over the past five postseasons. The Aces made 15 in the same 2022 semifinal game.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said it is hard for teams to match up with Golden State when it pushes the pace at a good rate. The Valkyries committed 5 turnovers.
“Sometimes, we want to attack, attack, attack to the point where we’re running into each other,” Nakase said. “The discipline in spacing tonight, the patience in terms of when we attacked was really good … and when that ball is moving … it’s key to our execution.”
Golden State led 58-31 at halftime. The lead reached 36 points, and Dallas won the fourth quarter 24-19.
