Latest news with #Valkyries
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Announces Historic News After Valkyries Defeat Caitlin Clark, Fever
WNBA Announces Historic News After Valkyries Defeat Caitlin Clark, Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It has been quite a run for the Golden State Valkyries thus far in their inaugural season in the WNBA. On Thursday, they marked arguably their biggest win of the campaign after taking down Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at Chase Center, 88-77. Advertisement The Valkyries were coming off a disappointing 80-71 loss against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, and they needed a bounce-back win on Thursday. They did just that by defeating the Fever, who entered the matchup on a two-game winning streak. It was veteran guard Kayla Thornton who led the way for Golden State in this one with 16 points and six rebounds. Clark, on the other hand, was held to just 11 points after shooting 3-of-14 from the field. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) handles the ball against Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton (5). Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Golden State improved to 6-6 after Thursday's victory, which prompted a historic announcement from the WNBA via social media. "Now 6-6... matching the Detroit Shock for 2nd best expansion team start 💫" the league posted on Instagram. The 1998 Detroit Shock no longer stand alone as the record holders for the best start by an expansion team in WNBA history. They now share this title with the Valkyries, who have an opportunity to set a new record in their next game. Advertisement The Golden State Valkyries can rewrite the history books again by going 7-6 if they are able to defeat the 2-10 Connecticut Sun on Sunday. It's going to be another home game for the Valkyries, too, which means that they will get a chance to make history in front of their passionate home fans. Related: Indiana Fever Assistant Issues Statement on Stephanie White's Sudden Absence Related: Indiana Fever Make Historic Announcement During Valkyries Game Related: Indiana Fever React to Caitlin Clark's Outfit for Valkyries Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Valkyries Had Three Words for Caitlin Clark and Fever After Big Win
Valkyries Had Three Words for Caitlin Clark and Fever After Big Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever entered Thursday's game against the Golden State Valkyries as heavy favorites. They were on a two-game winning run, even recently booking a ticket to the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final. Advertisement However, the Valkyries spoiled their streak as it was just getting started, taking down Caitlin Clark and company, 88-77. Kayla Thornton led the way for Golden State with 16 points and six rebounds, while Tiffany Hayes added 14 points, three boards and five assists. Defense played a big role in the Valkyries' victory, as they forced the Fever to commit 16 turnovers. They were also more physical defensively, limiting their visitors to 8-of-29 shooting from deep. Clark shot just 3-of-11 for the Fever, further highlighting how much the team struggled. The All-Star guard finished with 11 points, although she still recorded seven rebounds and nine assists. Advertisement Following the game, the Valkyries couldn't help but rub their win in the Fever players' faces. On social media, as they posted the final scores, the team also included a rather savage caption. "now you know," the Valkyries wrote. For those not familiar, the phrase "Now You Know" is the Fever's slogan for the 2025 campaign. Before the season started, the franchise unveiled the new campaign, explaining that it reaffirms "Indiana as the epicenter of basketball and women's sports." The Valkyries have every reason to be happy about their win, though. The 2025 campaign is the team's debut season as the WNBA's newest franchise, and they are already doing well, improving to 6-6 after their latest victory. Advertisement According to the WNBA, that is the second-best start for an expansion team in history, with the Valkyries joining the Detroit Shock. Indiana Fever star Catilin Clark and Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Ruszkowski / Eakin Howard - Imagn Images Golden State's WNBA franchise was awarded in 2023, and last May 2024, the team name and logo were revealed. Now, the Valkyries are already a full-fledged WNBA team that appears ready to contend for a playoff spot. Related: Kate Martin's Move Against Sophie Cunningham Leaves WNBA in Disbelief This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever Make Historic Announcement During Valkyries Game
Indiana Fever Make Historic Announcement During Valkyries Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever are back on the court on Thursday night for a road matchup against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. The Fever are coming off back-to-back wins and are looking to make it three in a row against a formidable Golden State side. Advertisement While it has been Caitlin Clark who has been the center of attention for the Fever--and rightfully so--there's no denying that her supporting cast has been pivotal in Indiana's run this season. There is perhaps no more important player on the squad who is not named Caitlin Clark than Aliyah Boston. On Thursday, the two-time All-Star marked another milestone in her career by climbing the leaderboards for the most blocks in Fever franchise history. Indiana took to social media to make the historic announcement. "protector of the paint ❌ congratulations to Aliyah Boston on moving into fourth place on our franchise's all-time blocks list 👋" the team posted on X. As of writing, Boston already has three blocks in the game entering the halftime break. Her activity on the defensive end against the Valkyries has allowed her to surpass former Fever center Teaira McCowan for the fourth spot on the esteemed list. Advertisement Boston is much more than just a rim protector for the Fever, though. Entering Thursday's matchup, the former Rookie of the Year was averaging 13.5 points on 59.4% shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in 29.0 minutes per contest. Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston have a discussion with a Zanine-Imagn Images There's no denying that Clark is Indiana's cornerstone superstar, but the fact remains that Boston will be integral to this team's championship aspirations this season and beyond. Related: Indiana Fever React to Caitlin Clark's Outfit for Valkyries Game Related: Caitlin Clark Names Indiana Fever's Best Defender Without Hesitation Related: WNBA Issues Statement on Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin Before Fever-Valkyries Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Makes Kayla Thornton Announcement After Fever-Valkyries Game
WNBA Makes Kayla Thornton Announcement After Fever-Valkyries Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Golden State Valkyries made all sorts of waves on Thursday night by taking down Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in a tightly-contested affair. Advertisement The Valkyries held down the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year to just 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting, which ultimately led to a massive 88-77 win for the Valkyries. Golden State needed to turn in a big-time performance against the Fever, who were coming off the heels of two straight wins. The Valkyries got just that from WNBA champion guard Kayla Thornton, who led the way for her team with 16 points on 5-of-11 from the field, six rebounds, a steal and five triples in just 20 minutes of action. After the game, the WNBA took to social media to announce Thornton as the Top Performer of the contest. It wasn't just Thornton who balled out for the Valkyries in this one, though. It was a total team effort for Golden State, which saw five players score in double digits. Three of those players came off the bench, with Tiffany Hayes (14), Chloe Bibby (12) and Laeticia Amihere (10) all chipping in. Advertisement The Valkyries are now 6-6 after this win, and they have tied the Fever for the No. 6 spot in the WNBA. Up next for Golden State is another home game against the 2-10 Connecticut Sun on Sunday, which will be followed by a marquee matchup against the defending champions, the New York Liberty, on Wednesday. Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) speaks to teammates after their game against the Los Angeles Yamashita-Imagn Images After their big win against the Fever, however, there's no denying that there's a lot of momentum for the Valkyries right now. Related: Indiana Fever Make Historic Announcement During Valkyries Game Related: WNBA Issues Statement on Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin Before Fever-Valkyries Game Related: Warriors Player Turns Heads After Taunting Caitlin Clark During Fever-Valkyries Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Even Dave Portnoy called out Caitlin Clark for this ‘terrible' game
Dave Portnoy apparently can be critical of Caitlin Clark. The Barstool Sports honcho and Clark superfan called out the Fever star for being 'terrible' in a 88-77 upset road loss Thursday against the expansion Valkyries. Clark shot 3-of-14 and missed all seven of her 3-point attempts, while tying her season-low with 11 points. 3 Caitlin Clark and the Fever lost to the Valkyries on Thursday. NBAE via Getty Images 'Caitlin had terrible game. Happy for Kate Martin though,' Portnoy tweeted shortly after midnight. 'Also Golden State is 1st crowd I've seen that was a true home crowd that was there for their team and not for Caitlin. Good for WNBA.' Portnoy is usually one of the most ardent supporters one can find on social media, so for him to even speak negatively about Clark — even in a tame manner by his standards — is a shocker. Earlier this week following Tuesday's melee against the Sun that featured the former No. 1 pick being bumped to the floor, he went on the offensive against the WNBA — and even Stephen A. Smith. 3 Dave Portnoy wearing a Caitlin Clark jersey. NBAE via Getty Images Portnoy immediately called out Sun star Marina Mabrey for knocking Clark to the floor. 'Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league?' Portnoy wrote Tuesday in a quote tweet featuring the play. 'Sick league @WNBA. Also shouldn't have been a tech on Caitlin since that girl got in her face after gouging her eyes.' He later chided Smith for his Solitaire scandal after Smith said Clark can be an instigator. 'I'll take things that never happened but ESPN always pretends did for 100 Alex,' Portnoy tweeted in reference to Smith saying Clark started certain skirmishes. 'Less solitaire. More facts.' In this case, Portnoy did not come rushing Clark's defense after she had a rough night out west. Thursday marked the second time she missed all of her shots from deep this year after failing to do so once in her rookie season. With Clark not providing her usual steady production, the Fever (6-6) wasted a 13-point lead. The Valkyries (6-6) outscored the Fever, 33-18, in the fourth quarter. 'They did a really good job of being physical with her. That's going to be the game plan all year long,' Fever interim coach Austin Kelly said. 'I think the lack of ball movement kind of allowed them to just really beat her up. When we move it, a lot of stuff happens, we're able to punch gaps, get to our sprays and it gets back to her, that's when she's going to get the good looks. But they did a good job of being physical and making it tough for her at the point.' 3 The Valkyries planned to be physical with Clark on Thursday. NBAE via Getty Images Golden State coach Natalie Nakase confirmed that her players took a physical approach to stymie Clark. 'We were being disruptive. We know she doesn't like physicality,' Nakase said. 'We know that she wants to get to that left stepback. I watched her in Iowa, she loves that left stepback, it's almost like a layup for her. We're making sure she wasn't getting into rhythm and then that she was seeing multiple bodies.'
