SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 12: Tiffany Hayes #15 of the Golden State Valkyries reacts against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Chase Center on August 12, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)Subscribe or Upgrade
Wednesday night’s lineup was much different than anything the Valkyries have run all season. Without center Kiah Stokes (concussion protocol) and Janelle Salaun (right knee soreness), the already undersized Valkyries were smaller than ever.
Against the Sky, with three centers including 6-foot-7 Kamila Cardoso, that could have been a problem, and it mostly wasn’t.
A lot of that is because Tiffany Hayes played her best game as a Valkyrie and Golden State grabbed three steals and turned them into transition offense with 15 fast break points.
But they also survived with a makeshift, inexperienced front court like they’ve bever run before. Developmental player Ashten Prechtel played a career-high 18 minutes and was essentially Golden State’s front court leader.
Subscribe to Valkyries Beat to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of Valkyries Beat to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
Upgrade