The Aporia · Zandalasini scores 22, leads Valkyries past Wings 104-80 in Game 1 of first-round playoff series

Janie Mccauley

30 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton was so happy she could barely speak at all.

2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Even Valkyries owner Joe Lacob is amazed by his franchise already winning a championship in Year 2

🔮 The Valkyries will have the Golden State Warriors in their corner, too.

2026-10-31 · assertive framing · Valkyries and Dream set for first-ever WNBA Finals Game 7 after Atlanta ties series

🔮 Doncic had 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the Lakers couldn’t make it back-to-back blowouts against Golden State after winning the teams’ season opener last week in LA.

2026-10-31 · assertive framing · Stephen Curry scores 31 points and outduels Luka Doncic as Warriors come back to beat Lakers 112-95

🔮 “They would never make the men’s NBA final happen at 9:30 in the morning,” said Kendall Christmas-Miller, an accounting manager for a medical tech company.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Even with early Game 6 tipoff on Thursday, Valkyries are confident fans will find a way to watch

🔮 The Valkyries will now come home for Game 5 on Monday night with that raucous “Ballhalla” crowd backing them against Angel Reese and the Dream.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Lineup switch by coach Natalie Nakase works out as Valkyries even WNBA Finals series with Dream at 2

🔮 Coach Steve Kerr said he would like to see Lendeborg fun the floor better.

2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Cameron Boozer hits go-ahead jumper with 20 seconds left, Grizzlies rally to beat Warriors 111-108

🔮 “For me, I think I let my team down last game not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” Reese said.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Angel Reese has 30 points, 16 rebounds as Dream beat Valkyries 79-65 to even WNBA Finals at 1-1

🔮 Late in games, Gabby Williams starts counting.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Valkyries star Gabby Williams counts possessions, keeps track of everything to lead late in games

🔮 “Maybe that was just on me I wasn’t aggressive enough with the ball and trying to get the ball and get to my spot.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Valkyries won all season long with their swarming defense, hold down Dream to win WNBA Finals Game 1

🔮 Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko was optimistic forward Allisha Gray would return from a finger injury to play in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday against the Golden State Valkyries.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Dream forward Allisha Gray expected to play in Game 1 of WNBA Finals against Valkyries

Also by Janie Mccauley

Even Valkyries owner Joe Lacob is amazed by his franchise already winning a championship in Year 2

2026-11-01 · Toronto Star

Valkyries and Dream set for first-ever WNBA Finals Game 7 after Atlanta ties series

2026-10-31 · Toronto Star

Stephen Curry scores 31 points and outduels Luka Doncic as Warriors come back to beat Lakers 112-95

2026-10-31 · Toronto Star

Even with early Game 6 tipoff on Thursday, Valkyries are confident fans will find a way to watch

2026-10-27 · Toronto Star

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 30 articles by Janie Mccauley →

Topics

Dallas Golden State Valkyries SAN FRANCISCO Valkyries the Dallas Wings

Subjects

Dallas GPE · 5× Valkyries ORG · 5× Ballhalla ORG · 1× Cecilia Zandalasini PERSON · 1× Gabby Williams PERSON · 1× Golden State Valkyries ORG · 1× Natalie Nakase PERSON · 1× Paige Bueckers PERSON · 1× SAN FRANCISCO GPE · 1× the Dallas Wings ORG · 1×

Narrative

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cecilia Zandalasini scored 22 points, Gabby Williams added 20, and the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries ran away from the Dallas Wings by halftime for a 104-80 win in the teams’ playoff opener Sunday night.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-28

🔮 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cecilia Zandalasini scored 22 points, Gabby Williams added 20, and the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries ran away from the Dallas Wings by halftime for a 104-80 win in the teams’ playoff opener Sunday night.

2026-09-28 · Toronto Star

Zandalasini scores 22, leads Valkyries past Wings 104-80 in Game 1 of first-round playoff series · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

Valkyries → score → opener

Paige Bueckers had 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting and six rebounds for Dallas, which won seven of eight to end the season to earn the seventh seed and will now try to stave off elimination at home. asserted

which → have → home

Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Wednesday in Dallas and, if necessary, Game 3 would be Friday back at Chase Center in front of the raucous, violet-clad sellout home crowd in “Ballhalla.” asserted

Game → clothe → Ballhalla

“Ballhalla’s part of us,” coach Natalie Nakase said of the fans. asserted

Nakase → say → fans

Tiffany Hayes had 21 points off the bench as the second-year Valkyries scored their most points ever, and Veronica Burton contributed 10 points. asserted

Burton → have → points

Zandalasini shot 7 for 11 with four 3-pointers. asserted

Zandalasini → shoot → pointers

The Valkyries outscored Dallas 37-11 in the second quarter and went 10 for 20 from 3-point range in the first half on the way to a 58-31 advantage at the break. asserted

Valkyries → outscore → break

The Valkyries shot 18 for 36 on 3-pointers in the game. asserted

Valkyries → shoot → game

This marked Golden State’s first true home playoff game after losing to the Minnesota Lynx by one point last year 50 miles away at the NHL San Jose Sharks’ home, SAP Center. asserted

This → mark → home

The Laver Cup tennis showcase had booked Chase Center before the Bay Area had even been granted an expansion team. asserted

Area → book → team

In 2025, the Valkyries made history becoming the first expansion organization to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season. asserted

Valkyries → make → season

Bueckers made 7 of 8 first-half shots and scored 17 by halftime but she didn’t have much help. asserted

she → make → help

Dallas went just 6 for 20 from deep. asserted

Dallas → go → deep

“When we’re awake we’re ferocious on defense,” Nakase said. asserted

Nakase → ’re → defense

Kayla Thornton’s 3-pointer at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter put Golden State ahead 32-24 and she pumped her arm as the Wings called timeout. asserted

Wings → put → timeout

Thornton had 10 points. asserted

Thornton → have → points

The Valkyries won seven of eight to finish the regular season and have now beaten Dallas in all four 2026 meetings. asserted

Valkyries → win → meetings

Zandalasini scores 22, leads Valkyries past Wings 104-80 in Game 1 of first-round playoff series

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Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)