{"id":4087,"date":"2026-07-09T05:07:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4087"},"modified":"2026-07-09T05:07:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:07:34","slug":"valkyries-bench-led-by-clutch-salaun-carries-them-past-toronto-to-keep-rolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4087","title":{"rendered":"Valkyries’ bench, led by clutch Sala\u00fcn, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Valkyries earned their sixth consecutive win Wednesday night and became the WNBA\u2019s first team to 16 wins, riding major contributions from their bench to an 83-75 win in Toronto over the expansion Tempo.<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-Stanford star Arthur Fery beats Cobolli to reach Wimbledon semifinals<\/a><\/p>\n

Janelle Sala\u00fcn 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.<\/p>\n

In crunch time, Sala\u00fcn 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Sala\u00fcn pointed to locking in on defense as part of what unlocked her late flurry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this mindset of fighting,\u201d Sala\u00fcn said. \u201cWe are all real fighters and that\u2019s what gets us going, and me personally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying through adversity kind of has been the key the last two games, specifically because we didn\u2019t start out really well,\u201d coach Natalie Nakase said. \u201cThe second unit again came to life again, so just credit to them for staying ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 Sala\u00fcn for a layup to give Golden State its 12th straight point to open the quarter. Toronto led by two entering the fourth.<\/p>\n

Thornton, the only starter in double figures, shouted out the bench, which combined for 52 points.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt just flows,\u201d the 2025 All-Star said of the team\u2019s rotation. \u201cI think they do a great job of coming in and doing what they have to do, so it\u2019s not too much on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Second case of infant botulism found in California linked to baby formula<\/a><\/p>\n

The Valkyries are 16-7, tied atop the league standings with Minnesota and Las Vegas. The Tempo fell to 9-12.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually did not check with medical, but she\u2019s smiling,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cThat\u2019s all I can say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Golden State\u2019s habit of shutting down the league\u2019s top scoring guards continued. Marina Mabrey, the league\u2019s 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\u2019 defense. Her first field goal was a layup with less than three minutes left to cut the Valkyries\u2019 lead to six points before Sala\u00fcn\u2019s trio of triples.<\/p>\n

Forward Isabelle Harrison led Toronto with 24 points and eight rebounds.<\/p>\n

The Valkyries\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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

Read more Bill to strip state school chief\u2019s power passes state legislature<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Janelle Sala\u00fcn set a career high with 26 points, including three 3-pointers late to seal the win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nValkyries’ bench, led by clutch Sala\u00fcn, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4087\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Valkyries’ bench, led by clutch Sala\u00fcn, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Janelle Sala\u00fcn set a career high with 26 points, including three 3-pointers late to seal the win.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4087\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T05:07:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Valkyries’ bench, led by clutch Sala\u00fcn, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T05:07:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087\"},\"wordCount\":691,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/6b4d71025555027167a02816835940dd.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4087\",\"name\":\"Valkyries’ bench, led by clutch Sala\u00fcn, carries them past Toronto to keep rolling - 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