Valkyries’ bench, led by clutch Salaün, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling

The Valkyries earned their sixth consecutive win Wednesday night and became the WNBA’s first team to 16 wins, riding major contributions from their bench to an 83-75 win in Toronto over the expansion Tempo.

Janelle Salaün set a new career high with 26 points, including a trio of 3s to ice the game late. Kaitlyn Chen scored 16 points and Kayla Thornton added 15 as hot starts to the second and fourth quarters led them to victory.

In crunch time, Salaün took over. A pair of Valkyries offensive rebounds led to her 3-pointer from the corner, then Veronica Burton fed her again on the pick-and-pop from the left wing, stretching the lead back to 12 and prompting a Tempo timeout. If that weren’t enough, after Toronto made a hoop, Salaun drilled another triple to clinch the win, putting her thumb and two fingers in the air on her way back down the court.

Salaün pointed to locking in on defense as part of what unlocked her late flurry.

“We have this mindset of fighting,” Salaün said. “We are all real fighters and that’s what gets us going, and me personally.”

“Playing through adversity kind of has been the key the last two games, specifically because we didn’t start out really well,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “The second unit again came to life again, so just credit to them for staying ready.”

The fourth quarter opened with a similar run for the Valkyries: Chen found Thornton for a 3-pointer from the left wing, then on the next possession hit Salaün for a layup to give Golden State its 12th straight point to open the quarter. Toronto led by two entering the fourth.

Thornton, the only starter in double figures, shouted out the bench, which combined for 52 points.

“It just flows,” the 2025 All-Star said of the team’s rotation. “I think they do a great job of coming in and doing what they have to do, so it’s not too much on us.”

The Valkyries are 16-7, tied atop the league standings with Minnesota and Las Vegas. The Tempo fell to 9-12.

It wasn’t all sunshine for the Valkyries, though: All-Star forward Gabby Williams fell awkwardly on a rebound battle midway through the fourth quarter and did not return. The team cited a back contusion, but Nakase indicated it may not be serious.

“I actually did not check with medical, but she’s smiling,” Nakase said. “That’s all I can say.”

For the third time in four games, Williams shot less than 35% from the field before the injury as she and No. 2 scorer Burton combined for just 13 points. Thornton’s efficient night picked up the Valkyries on the wing. She shot 4 of 6 from the field, including nine sizzling points over the last 3:03 of the first half.

Golden State’s habit of shutting down the league’s top scoring guards continued. Marina Mabrey, the league’s fourth-leading scorer who scored a record 53 points earlier this season, shot 2 of 9, scoring just 11 points against Kaila Charles and the Valkyries’ defense. Her first field goal was a layup with less than three minutes left to cut the Valkyries’ lead to six points before Salaün’s trio of triples.

Forward Isabelle Harrison led Toronto with 24 points and eight rebounds.

The Valkyries’ blistering second quarter sent them into halftime with a 10-point lead. They opened the quarter with a 10-0 run as Chen made three baskets before Toronto scored a single point, helping the Valkyries erase a six-point deficit after the first 10 minutes. They shot just 2-of-13, scoring 11 points in the first period to put them in that hole. But their defensive intensity and streaky shooting carried the day.

Next up for the Valkyries is a game Friday in Connecticut against the Sun, with tip-off set for 4:30 Pacific.