The Golden State Valkyries notched their first win behind Veronica Burton doing her best Stephen Curry impression. The Bay Area loves the Warriors star for his otherworldly shooting and clutch buckets. Burton offered both as the Valkyries made history.
The 24-year-old finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 29 minutes of action. She went six of 11 from the field, including making three 3-pointers. Fans couldn’t believe her deep buzzer-beater before halftime, but she made an even more impressive clutch shot to help ice the 78-76 victory.
Tiffany Hayes looked like the Valkyries star in the franchise opener as Burton struggled. The roles were reversed in game two, and the 24-year-old staked her claim for more touches and shots moving forward.
Veronica Burton goes off to help the Valkyries secure their first win
Burton led the team in points, rebounds, assists, and minutes played on Wednesday night. After being scoreless in 17 minutes in the opener, she bounced back nicely. The 5’9 guard took seven shots in the paint and four triples in the win over the Mystics. She is buying into the analytics and shining.
Burton is on her third WNBA team in four seasons. She was the Valkyries' third overall pick in the expansion draft. Stephen Curry broke out at 24 years old, and this could be the first of her career take-off at the same age. Burton showed impressive playmaking to go with the lights-out shooting in this win. The Valkyries need players to step up, so expect Burton to keep getting chances to make the leap.
Golden State won despite shooting 31.9 percent from the field and just 18.9 percent on their 3-point attempts. It helped that they got to the line 28 times and created 17 turnovers. The Valkyries will fire away from 3-point range in hopes of winning the math game. Burton will play a key role in making shots. Golden State will surprise teams this season. They play hard and will keep firing.
Janelle Salaun played a key role in first game with the franchise. She had ten points, and Kayla Thornton dropped 18 in the first of many wins.
Veronica Burton reminded fans of Stephen Curry as the Valkyries handed the Mystics their first loss. Washington was 2-0 coming in, but their 0 had to go. The fans deserve a ton of credit. The arena was packed again and created a fantastic atmosphere. Burton thrived in it, but the best is yet to come. The 24-year-old will keep improving and so will the entire team as they get reps together. The Golden State Valkyries are just getting started, so stay tuned.