Salaün finished with 21 points to lead the Valkyries to their first win at home
Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun shoots past Phoenix Mercury forward Noemie Brochant in the first quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.
, on Sunday, May 10, 2026. The sellout crowd rose to its feet the moment the ball tipped, noise cascading down from the upper deck. The stars of the Bay were out as legendary Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer and former Team USA soccer star Brandi Chastain sat in the stands. And when the buzzer sounded to end the game, the arena gave the Valkyries a standing ovation.
In front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Chase Center, the Valkyries defeated the Phoenix Mercury 95-79. Behind a 21-point performance from Janelle Salaün, Golden State held off a strong push from the Mercury in the second half to beat the league powerhouse, a day after Phoenix destroyed the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday. The Valkyries captured their first home-opening win in franchise history in front of 18,064 fans at Chase Center.
Golden State withstood a 31-18 third quarter from Phoenix by outscoring the Mercury 29-17 in the fourth quarter. The Valkyries have hit the 90 point mark in each of their first two games after hitting 90 just four times last season. Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton leaps to slap the front of the basketball stanchion after a play in the first quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.
, on Sunday, May 10, 2026. For the second straight game, second-year star Salaün came off the bench. Against Seattle on Friday, the French-born forward did not get the start but led the team in scoring with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting. On Sunday, the Valkyries once again got off to a slow start until Salaün entered the game.
Salaün finished with 21 points and hit tough shots when the Valkyries needed her to. Salaün was 7-of-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. She had a plus-minus rating of +25. Last season, Salaün started 33 of the 36 games she played in last season.
The Valkyries opted to start guard/forward Kaila Charles, who finished with six points and had a plus-minus rating of -3. Kate Martin opens up about emotional Valkyries departure: ‘It was not easy at all’Newly acquired forward Gabby Williams had her breakout game as a Valkyrie. The 29-year-old defensive stopper scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and had four steals in 32 minutes.
Williams was a pest on defense, limiting Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner to five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams dribbles the ball against the Phoenix Mercury in the first quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. , on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
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