The Golden State Valkyries beat the Portland Fire 95–77 on Tuesday night, pulling away with a second-quarter outburst that turned a close game into a blowout by halftime.
Golden State outscored Portland 35–16 in the second period, flipping a one-point game into a 20-point lead the Fire never seriously threatened. The Valkyries set a franchise record with 18 made threes on the night, shot 45% from deep on 40 attempts, and finished with 25 assists on 32 made field goals. The bench contributed 43 of the team's 95 points.
Kayla Thornton led the team with 19 points, adding 8 rebounds and hitting 5 of 10 from three. Janelle Salaun added 18 on 6-of-10 shooting, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line and contributing in transition. Veronica Burton ran the offense at the point, finishing with 9 assists against just 1 turnover.
For Portland, Megan Gustafson put up 13 points and 8 rebounds but the Fire could not generate enough consistent offense to stay in the game. Portland turned the ball over 15 times, which directly led to 19 Valkyries points. Emily Engstler battled hard with 12 points and 8 rebounds but the margin was too wide to overcome.
Golden State visits Minnesota on Thursday in their next game.