The Golden State Valkyries beat the Portland Fire 95–77 on Tuesday night, doing most of their damage in a dominant second quarter that effectively ended the game early.
Golden State outscored Portland 35–16 in the second period, turning a one-point game into a 20-point halftime lead that the Fire never seriously threatened. The Valkyries shot 45% from three on 40 attempts and moved the ball at will, finishing with 25 assists on 32 made field goals — a 3.57 assist-to-turnover ratio that tells the story of how cleanly they operated all night.
For Portland, Megan Gustafson had 13 points and 8 rebounds but the Fire could not generate enough offense to stay in it. The team turned the ball over 15 times, leading directly to 19 Valkyries points. Emily Engstler fought hard with 12 points and 8 rebounds but the margin was too much to overcome.
Golden State hosts Minnesota next on Friday, where they are a slight underdog at 42% to win.