Salaun Sparks Valkyries to Dominant Home-Opening Win Over Mercury.

The crowd at Chase Center barely had time to settle into its seats before the Phoenix Mercury jumped out to a quick seven-point lead. But once the Golden State Valkyries found their rhythm, there was no slowing them down. Powered by a breakout performance from Janelle Salaun, the Valkyries rolled past the Mercury 95-79 on Sunday night to capture their home opener in front of another sold-out crowd in San Francisco. Salaun delivered a spark off the bench, pouring in 21 points on an efficient 7-for-9 shooting night while knocking down all four of her attempts from beyond the arc. Gabby Williams added 19 points and five rebounds in her first home appearance since signing with Golden State last month, while Kayla Thornton matched her with 19 points of her own. Point guard Veronica Burton orchestrated the offense masterfully, finishing with 13 points and 12 assists as the Valkyries controlled the game for most of the night after a slow start. Phoenix stayed within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter. Former Stanford standout Kiana Williams buried a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five, and Alyssa Thomas followed with two free throws moments later to make it 73-70 with just over seven minutes remaining. That was as close as the Mercury would get. Salaun answered with three free throws before converting a layup on Golden State’s next possession, igniting the Chase Center crowd and pushing the lead back to double digits. The Valkyries closed the game on a dominant run, feeding off the energy of the 18,064 fans packed into the arena.

Before tipoff, the atmosphere already felt playoff-like. Burton addressed the crowd during pregame introductions as fans celebrated the return of “Ballhalla,” the nickname embraced by supporters last season in a nod to Norse mythology and the team’s Valkyrie identity. Golden State seized momentum in the second quarter, opening the period with a 21-6 surge that flipped an early deficit into a commanding lead. By halftime, the Valkyries were ahead 48-31 and never truly looked back. Thomas led Phoenix with 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, though turnovers proved costly for the Mercury, who committed 17 as a team. Phoenix entered the game coming off a historic 99-66 blowout victory over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday night, but looked far less sharp on the second night of a back-to-back. The Valkyries were also short-handed, playing without Tiffany Hayes, sidelined by a left pinky injury, and Cecilia Zandalasini, who remains in concussion protocol.

Golden State will continue its homestand Wednesday against Chicago, while Phoenix returns home Tuesday for its opener against Minnesota.