Valkyries instant analysis: Janelle Salaün shines again as Golden State defeats Mercury in home opener
SAN FRANCISCO - The vibes were back.
For the first time in over eight months, the Golden State Valkyries were back at Chase Center for a competitive game.
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.
Not for a win, not for a highlight, just for being home.
“I just get goosebumps when I when I go in there,” forward Kayla Thornton, who finished with 19 points, said. “They give me energy, and I know they probably give our team, my teammates, energy too. But it’s just something about our crowd. If I was on the other side, I would feel very intimidated.”
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 off the bench, 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. They were without veterans Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini, but got key contributions off the bench from Laeticia Amihere and Kaitlyn Chen.
Veronica Burton was a quintessential point guard on Sunday night, scoring 13 points and dishing out 12 assists while recording no turnovers.
Golden State withstood a 31-18 third quarter from Phoenix by outscoring the Mercury 29-17 in the fourth period. The Valkyries have hit the 90-point mark in each of their first two games after hitting 90 just four times last season.
Alyssa Thomas led the Mercury with 19 points.
Salaün comes off bench again
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.
Coach Natalie Nakase said bringing Salaün off the bench has been purely based on matchups.
“It just depends on who we’re playing,” Nakase said when asked if she is considering moving Salaün into the starting lineup. “That’s what I love about our coaching staff. We’re very intentional about how we gameplan.”
Williams bounces back
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. In the closing minutes, Williams picked up Thomas and neutralized her impact.
She hit two big 3-pointers in the final three minutes to close the game for Golden State after Phoenix made one final push in the fourth quarter.
Eight-woman rotation
The Valkyries had 10 players active, but played just eight. Along with the starting lineup of Burton, Williams, Thornton, Charles and center Kiah Stokes, Nakase brought Amihere, Salaün and Chen off the bench.
Amihere ultimately closed Sunday’s game at center after Stokes struggled to find a rhythm. She finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Chen played nine minutes and controlled the tempo while Burton was off the floor.
Nakase opted not to play guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda or sharp shooter Miela Sowah. Sowah, who signed a developmental contract last week, has been activated for the last two games. The Australian-born guard has 10 more activations this season.
Valkyries make late signing
Following Sunday’s game, the Valkyries announced the signing of former Stanford standout Ashten Prechtel to a hardship contract.
Prechtel helped Stanford win a national championship in 2021 and was drafted in the third round of the 2023 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. She recently was on the Mercury’s preseason roster before being waived on Wednesday.
At 6-foot-5, Prechtel adds some much needed size to Golden State’s roster. However, Prechtel’s signing signals either Hayes (finger) or Zandalsini (concussion protocol) will be out for an extended period of time.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 7:49 PM.