SAN FRANCISCO — Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini each scored 17 points, Janelle Salaun added 16 and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Connecticut Sun 74-57 on Monday night.
Aneesah Morrow had 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 12 points for Connecticut (5-26), which dropped to 1-15 in road games this year.
Salaun scored on three straight Golden State possessions and Zandalasini followed with a 3-pointer as the Valkyries took the first double-digit lead of the game at 45-33 with 6:09 left in the third quarter. Golden State’s fifth 3-pointer in the opening seven minutes of the third made it 53-36.
The Valkyries (16-15) used a 14-2 run in the fourth, capped by a corner 3-pointer by Kate Martin, to take a 69-50 lead.
Golden State finished 13 of 33 from 3-point range, while Connecticut was just 5 of 25.
Iliana Rupert added 10 points and Veronica Burton had 10 assists for Golden State, which moved into seventh place in the WNBA standings with 13 games left. Hayes moved past Sheryl Swoopes (4,875) for 31st on the WNBA’s career scoring list.
Aaliyah Edwards scored eight in her second game with the Sun after being traded from Washington. Marina Mabrey, averaging 15 points per game, was held to just three points. Tina Charles (rest) did not play.
Both teams shot under 35 per cent from the field in the first half, with Golden State leading 32-26 behind 12 points from Hayes.
