Veronica Burton Leads Balanced Valkyries Effort in 94-76 Win Over Dallas Wings

The Golden State Valkyries continued their strong play on the road Friday night, defeating the Dallas Wings 94-76 at American Airlines Center to improve to 22-9 on the season. Golden State controlled the game with efficient offense, dominant rebounding, and unselfish ball movement, finishing with a franchise-record 27 assists while holding Dallas to a season-low 33.9 percent shooting from the field.

Veronica Burton led the way with 22 points, seven assists, and zero turnovers while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. It marked Burton’s second consecutive game with at least 10 points, five assists, and no turnovers—the first time she has accomplished that feat in her career.

Gabby Williams added 19 points, four assists, one steal, and did not commit a turnover. Williams scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half, including 10 in the second quarter to help Golden State build momentum before halftime.

Kayla Thornton recorded the 11th double-double of her career with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds while also reaching the 2,500-point milestone for her career.

Kiah Stokes contributed seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots, while Kaila Charles chipped in nine points, four rebounds, and a team-high three steals. Laeticia Amihere anchored the defense with a team-high three blocks.

Golden State established control early by dominating the paint in the opening half, outscoring Dallas 20-8 inside while shooting 61.1 percent from the field compared to the Wings’ 31.3 percent. The Valkyries also owned a 25-16 rebounding advantage before halftime, with Thornton collecting seven rebounds in the first two quarters.

Head coach Natalie Nakase credited her team’s offensive execution and discipline.

“We had really good spacing. When we had really good spacing, that leaves the gaps for us to get in there. It was a lot of selflessness in terms of maintaining space, because sometimes people like to ball chase or set screens just to get the ball. But I thought we did a really good job of being selfless, disciplined, and then continuing to move in the right spots.”

Nakase also praised Burton’s commitment to improvement and preparation.

“Consistency, that’s huge growth for her. Number one, she’s the ultimate pro on how she approaches it; constantly asking for more film, constantly asking questions, and that’s her hunger to want to just be better every game. A lot of players like to be complacent, but she wants more film. She wants more information… You just love players like that, coachable, humble, and they set a standard for themselves, like ‘I want to be better every single day.’ I love that. I love V.”

Despite the convincing victory, Nakase believes there is still room for improvement.

“We still weren’t at our best, but I credit the stints of when we were really active, when we were pressuring the ball, when we were dictating the actions. We fouled too much tonight, so I wasn’t happy with that. So I think if we can put everything together by playing harder, but also playing smarter… I thought our energy overall was better.”

Burton credited the growing chemistry she has developed with Williams.

“I think the more time that we’re able to spend together on and off the court, and the more comfortable you just get with that and that experience, I think we have a really good understanding of how each other likes to play and where each other wants to be on the court. I think we’re very similar in terms of our leadership styles… She’s just one of those players that I think can play really well with anyone. So I’m just grateful to have her here.”

Burton also acknowledged there were areas to clean up after a slower defensive start.

“I think that was probably the one lag where we could have been a little bit better, just being on the same page and helping each other. But at the end of the day, we play really good team defense, and we never want anyone to feel like they’re on an island. That’s our biggest thing. I’m definitely proud of us. There’s always room for improvement, and there’s some things that we’ll watch the film back on and clean up for sure.”

Williams highlighted Thornton’s impact beyond the box score.

“She can do it all, and the types of plays that she makes are just huge momentum shifts, just feeding off that kind of energy. It was a quiet double-double, but some of the plays she made, some of the steals she had, some of the help defense she had, her running the floor, those plays are loud, and we feed off of that. So having a player like that on your team really helps a lot, especially with the kind of enthusiasm that we want to play with.”

The victory was Golden State’s sixth win in its last seven road games. At 22 victories this season, the Valkyries are now one win away from matching last year’s win total. Their next test comes Sunday, Aug. 9, when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Sparks.