Valkyries visit Liberty for toughest test in debut season

The expansion Golden State Valkyries have recorded early wins against the Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks, two teams that did not make the 2024 WNBA playoffs.

On Tuesday night in Brooklyn, the Valkyries will face the toughest test of their early franchise history against the defending champion New York Liberty.

Avenging a season-opening loss to the Sparks, Golden State (2-1) bounced back Friday with an 82-73 victory in Los Angeles. The victory gave Golden State its first winning streak in franchise history and featured fine performances by a pair of French rookies, with Carla Leite scoring 19 points off the bench and starter Janelle Salaun adding 18 to raise her team-high scoring average to 14.0.

The victory came despite the injury absences of veterans Tiffany Hayes and Monique Billings.

Salaun's steady play has been critical for Golden State in the early stages of its debut campaign.

"She is meant for these moments," head coach Natalie Nakase said of Salaun. "When we need a bucket, we're pretty confident in putting the ball into her hands and she wants that, you know, she wants that responsibility."

The competition level ramps up significantly Tuesday against the Liberty (3-0), who are back home after Saturday's dramatic 90-88 victory over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

In a back-and-forth battle where both New York and Indiana came back from double-digit deficits, Jonquel Jones' double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds featured 14 fourth-quarter points to fend off the Fever.

However, it was two defensive plays in the final 10 seconds from Natasha Cloud that sealed the victory with a block under the rim followed by a steal on the final play of the game.

"I think everyone knows what (Cloud) brings to this team and why she's so valuable offensively and defensively," said teammate Sabrina Ionescu, whose 23 points included the decisive free throws with 2.9 seconds left. "She plays with a lot of heart. We know what we're going to get from her, and I think that's why everyone was so happy when she was able to come here."

The game will be the Valkyries' first outside of California and the first of two games between the two teams in Brooklyn this week, with the teams meeting again Thursday night.