The Golden State Valkyries‘ first game after the All-Star break ended in a, 91-89, loss to the Phoenix Mercury at the Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, July 29.
The Valkyries have dropped consecutive games after their franchise-record nine-game winning streak. Golden State was outplayed by Phoenix in most of the second half.
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Valkyries led at halftime, 46-34, after outscoring the Mercury, 28-13 in the second quarter. Golden State had allowed the lead to slip in the second half.
Valkyries Gabby Williams recovering from injury
Golden State was without forward Gabby Williams who did not play as she prepares for her return to competition with reconditioning. Williams, who is the team-leading scorer with 14.8 points per game, suffered a lower back injury in early July.
The Valkyries were paced by Cecilia Zandalasini who led the team with a 16-point performance, including three steals and 3-for-6 shooting on 3-point field goals. Veronica Burton had 15 points and five assists for Golden State.
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Golden State received good effort from its secondary unit led by Janelle Salaun and Tiffany Hayes. Salaun had 13, while Hayes had 11.
Jul 29, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) drives past Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Golden State’s Janelle Salaun missed crucial free throws in fourth quarter
Salaun had a chance to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter when she was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 19.8 seconds remaining. She made the first two and missed the second. It was her only missed free throw of the night, she went 7-for-8 from the foul line..
The Valkyries had another chance at the end with 15.3 seconds left. Golden State took the ball out on the sideline but it appeared there was a miscommunication in players getting to their spots and Hayes threw the ball out of bounds in a rushed pass to Burton in the middle of the floor to avoid a five-second violation.
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“There are some plays that we definitely wish we could get back, and we’ll watch the film. We will get them back. We just got to bounce back,” Burton said.
“I mean, I think there is a discipline that we lacked,” she added. “Obviously, a lot of free throws for them. A lot of like not even shooting fouls, but when we’re in the bonus that many times, like we need to be disciplined. And rebounding. Honestly, I think even being in that game was impressive for us because we did a lot of things wrong. But there’s a lot to learn from, and just being on the same page, keeping our composure.”
Phoenix was led by Kahleah Copper who had a game-high 27 points, while Alyssa Thomas nearly notched a triple-double tallying 25 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win. DeWanna Bonner added a double-double, 17 points and 10 rebounds.
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The story of the game was at the free throw line. Mercury shot 43 attempts from the foul line, compared to the Valkyries’ 19.
“Yeah, 43 to 19. We just we can’t foul. We have to be more disciplined. Show hands. So we just we talked about that. We can’t send a team to the line 43 times. It’s hard to win games, you know,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told reporters. “If they’re shooting, they’re free too. So, being more disciplined, being in spots early, showing hands-that’s the main key.”
“I thought they came out harder than we did,” she added. “So again, just not happy with our start, and then more just frustrated with game plan mistakes in terms of the defense. Again, giving them 91, and obviously with Copper… finishing with 27. That’s not wasn’t part of the game plan, and obviously AT with 25. We just have to be. We got to be better.”
The Valkyries have a 19-9 record after their loss to Phoenix, but remain the third-best record in the league. Golden State returns home on August 2 and 4 in games against the Toronto Tempo. Their Aug. 2 game begins at 5:30 p.m. PT.
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Check out highlights from the Valkyries-Mercury matchup from July 29, 2026.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Valkyries’ late-game mistakes lead to brutal loss to Mercury
