Late bucket lifts Valkyries over Mystics, into playoff position

Kate Martin scored 14 points and Iliana Rupert added 11 as the visiting Golden State Valkyries leaned into their defense to earn a key 68-67 victory over the Washington Mystics that could have playoff implications.

Veronica Burton had 10 points with 10 assists while Temi Fagbenle had 10 points for the short-handed Valkyries (13-13), who held the Mystics to one field goal over the final 7:20 of the game.

Janelle Salaun scored the go-ahead basket with one minute remaining as Golden State moved ahead of Washington (13-14) for eighth place and the final playoff spot with just over a month remaining in the regular season. The expansion Valkyries are 2-0 against the Mystics.

Sonia Citron scored 16 points, while Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin added 10 each as the Mystics lost for the fourth time in their past six games. Austin had nine rebounds as Washington went 2-3 on a run of five consecutive home games.

The Valkyries jumped out to a 15-9 lead four minutes into the game and went up by as many as 12 in the opening quarter en route to a 30-20 lead heading into the second. It was their second-highest-scoring first quarter of the season following a 32-point effort against the New York Liberty in May.

Golden State pushed the advantage to 46-34 at halftime by shooting 51.7 percent from the floor and holding the Mystics to 38.9 percent.

The Mystics got back into the game late in the third quarter to pull within 59-55 after a 7-0 run, but the Valkyries carried a 62-55 lead into the fourth after a 3-pointer from Kate Martin with 2.8 seconds left in the period.

The Mystics used another 7-0 run to open the fourth and tie the game 62-62 after a 3-pointer from Lucy Olsen with 8:07 remaining. They grabbed their first lead of the game at 65-64 with 7:20 left after a 3-pointer from Emily Engstler.

Washington, though, went the next six minutes without a field goal until Austin scored inside for a 67-66 lead with 1:15 to go. Brittney Sykes' game-winning shot attempt inside with less than a second remaining was off target for Washington.

--Field Level Media