Off to impressive start, Valkyries put away Mercury

Reserve Janelle Salaun scored eight of her game-high 21 points in a key late burst, Veronica Burton chipped in with a double-double and the Golden State Valkyries took down the visiting Phoenix Mercury 95-79 on Sunday night.

In a battle of teams that won their season openers, the Mercury rallied from a 48-31 halftime deficit to get within 73-70 on an Alyssa Thomas hoop with 7:34 to play.

Salaun countered with a 3-pointer, then followed a Laeticia Amihere layup with three free throws and a layup, completing a 10-0 flurry that opened a 13-point lead with 5:18 to go.

Playing the second game of a road back-to-back, which included an impressive 99-66 thrashing of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, the Mercury got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

Salaun's 21 points came on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 accuracy on 3-pointers. The Valkyries outscored the visitors 39-33 from beyond the arc.

Burton's double-double consisted of 13 points and a game-high 12 assists, while Kayla Thornton and Gabby Williams contributed 19 points apiece for the Valkyries.

Amihere added 13 points and a team-high six rebounds along with five assists and three blocks for Golden State, which won at Seattle on Friday night to open its second season.

Thomas had 19 points to lead Phoenix, getting almost half her points on 9 of 12 from the free throw line. She nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 11 assists and nine rebounds, while committing six turnovers and playing through five fouls.

Jovana Nogic drilled four 3-pointers in five attempts for a majority of her 16 points for the Mercury, while Natasha Mack and Kahleah Copper contributed 11 points apiece.

Golden State's 17-point halftime lead was the result of outscoring Phoenix 31-11 in the second quarter. The Valkyries had fallen behind 7-0 and 15-6 before dominating the final 14 minutes of the first half.

Phoenix responded to the Valkyries' big second quarter with a 31-point third to make it a tight game well into the final period.

--Field Level Media