Golden State Valkyries Defeat Chicago Sky 91-71

The Golden State Valkyries pulled away in the second half Wednesday night, defeating the Chicago Sky 91-71 at Chase Center in front of a sellout crowd of 18,064.

Chicago started strong, taking a 24-16 lead after the opening quarter. The Sky shot 57.9% from the field in the first period, with Courtney Vandersloot scoring six points and Natasha Cloud adding four points and five assists. Jacy Sheldon contributed five points, while Rachel Banham scored five off the bench.

The Valkyries responded in the second quarter, outscoring Chicago 27-16 to take a 43-40 halftime lead. Golden State shot 57.1% from the field in the quarter and made 9-of-12 free throws. Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes each scored six points, while Veronica Burton added five.

The game changed dramatically in the third quarter.

Golden State scored 29 points and shot 66.7% from the field while Chicago managed 18 points on 40% shooting. The Valkyries used their defense to create turnovers and convert them into offense, building a 14-point lead by the end of the quarter.

Tiffany Hayes was especially effective during the third-quarter run, scoring nine points and helping Golden State extend its lead. Kaitlyn Chen added two three-pointers in the quarter, including one with 5.1 seconds remaining that gave the Valkyries a 72-58 advantage heading into the fourth.

Golden State continued to control the game in the fourth quarter. The Valkyries scored 19 points while holding Chicago to 13, with the Sky shooting just 21.1% from the field during the final period. Golden State eventually pushed its lead to 23 points before closing out the victory.

Hayes finished with a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. She also recorded six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kaila Charles scored 15 points, while Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton each finished with 13. Cecilia Zandalasini added 12 points.

Kamilla Cardoso led Chicago with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds. Rachel Banham scored 11 points, while Natasha Cloud finished with nine points and nine assists.

Golden State finished the game shooting 50.8% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range. Chicago shot 42.9% overall and 31.6% from beyond the arc. The Valkyries also held a 15-5 advantage in fast-break points.

After being outscored 40-24 in the second half, Chicago fell to 12-22 on the season. Golden State improved to 24-9 with the victory.