Valkyries grab fifth straight win over Fire, 82-66

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Kaitlyn Chen scored 17 points off the bench with a career-high five 3-pointers, Laeticia Amihere also scored 17, and the Golden State Valkyries returned from the break for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup to beat the Portland Fire 82-66 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory. Tiffany Hayes had 13 points and seven assists, while Kayla Thornton contributed 13 points and four rebounds. Veronica Burton made a franchise-record six steals as the Valkyries played without star Gabby Williams and top reserve Janelle Salaun, both of whom played for the French team that lost to the U.S. 97-79 in the World Cup final on Sunday.

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SAN FRANCISCO – Usually, when a team is missing three of their key rotation players who play a combined 66.9 minutes a game and account for 43.5% of their average point total per game, they tend to falter. But in concert with the story of the Golden State Valkyries , their strength-in-numbers identity and 1-through-12 depth continue to allow them […] The post Valkyries news: Why Natalie Nakase believes FIBA break 'worked out' appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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Minus several key players after the FIBA World Cup, the Golden State Valkyries routed the Portland Fire 82-66 and inched closer to the WNBA's No. 1 playoff seed.