Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 points off the bench as the visiting Golden State Valkyries defeated the Washington Mystics 62-49 on Monday night.
Tiffany Hayes added nine points in a reserve role for the Valkyries (15-7), who turned in another impressive defensive performance. This secures Golden State’s first five-game winning streak of the season.
Washington’s point total marked the fewest for a Golden State opponent in franchise history. It’s also the first time this season that a WNBA team was held to fewer than 50 points.
Golden State’s reserves scored 39 points. The Valkyries shot 35.1% from the field and went 4-for-4 on free throws and yet they ended up with the widest margin of victory during their streak. Chen made six of her nine attempts from the floor and also led her team with four assists.
Kiki Iriafen’s 12 points and Shakira Austin’s 11 points and 11 rebounds were tops for the Mystics (10-10), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Their halftime lead vanished as they were limited to 16 second-half points.
Golden State took control with a 19-7 spread in the third quarter.
The Valkyries had to rely on reserves for offense because starters Kayla Thornton and Gabby Williams went a combined 1-for-13 from the field. The only Golden State starter with a 3-point basket was Kiah Stokes, who went 2-for-4 from long range while the other starters were a combined 0-for-13.
Washington was more miserable on offense, shooting 30% from the field even though Iriafen checked in at 6-for-12 and accounted for one-third of the team’s successful shots from the floor. The Mystics went 3-for-24 on 3-point attempts.
Stokes was Golden State’s top rebounder with nine boards.
The Mystics led 33-31 at halftime. The teams combined to shoot 5-for-30 on 3-pointers in the opening half. The Valkyries received 11 first-half points from their starters and 20 points from their reserves.
–Field Level Media
