Valkyries vs. Sun: Golden State's Bench Sets a Franchise Record With 54 Points in an 89-64 Rout

Most benches spend blowouts waving towels. Golden State's spent this one rewriting the franchise record book.

The Golden State Valkyries reserves combined for 54 points, a franchise record, and the visitors flattened the Connecticut Sun 89-64 on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. Janelle Salaun led the way with 15 points and four 3-pointers, Veronica Burton added 12 points and seven assists, and the outcome was settled long before anyone in Uncasville had finished their first snack.

Over Before the Second Timeout

Connecticut hung around for roughly five minutes. The Sun trailed just 8-7 before Golden State uncorked an 11-0 run that made it 19-7, and the Valkyries took a 26-11 lead into the second quarter. The team said its defense set the tone early, blocking three shots in the opening period and holding the Sun to 4-of-16 shooting with nothing from deep.

The second quarter was worse for the home side. Golden State poured in 29 more points, and with the score already a lopsided 41-27, the Valkyries closed the half on a 14-0 run. Connecticut went the final 3:51 of the half without scoring and limped into the locker room shooting 9 of 33. The 55-27 halftime score gave Golden State a 28-point cushion, which the team said was its biggest halftime lead of the season and the second-largest in franchise history.

The third quarter was the only one Connecticut did not lose, a 25-25 standoff, but it did nothing to the scoreboard math. Golden State scored the last two points of the period and the first seven of the fourth, a 9-0 burst that ended with Juste Jocyte giving the Valkyries an 87-52 lead, their biggest of the night and, per the team, their largest of the season. From there the Sun ripped off eight straight points and won the fourth quarter 12-9, a small consolation in a game Connecticut never led.

Salaun, Charles and the Second-Unit Takeover

This was a night for the people at the end of the scouting report. Salaun hit 5 of 8 shots, 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and played like someone with something to prove in 18 minutes. Kaila Charles was even more efficient, going 5 of 6 from the field for 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds, all on the defensive end. Kaitlyn Chen added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Tiffany Hayes made the most of a three-minute cameo with five points and two steals.

Fourteen Valkyries got into the game, and 11 of them scored at least two points. That is not a rotation; that is a group project where everybody actually did their part.

The starters did not need to do much, and they did not. Burton played 20 minutes and finished with 12 points, seven assists and zero turnovers, a combination the Valkyries said she has now produced seven times in her career. Gabby Williams added nine, Cecilia Zandalasini had seven, and Kiah Stokes chipped in seven points, six rebounds and three blocks. Ashten Prechtel matched Stokes with three blocks off the bench, and Laeticia Amihere added two more, part of a 10-block night for Golden State.

For Connecticut, rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker was the bright spot with a season-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3 of 4 from deep. Nell Angloma scored 11. Beyond that, the shooting chart was grim. Hailey Van Lith went 1 of 9, Gianna Kneepkens 0 of 6 and Ashlon Jackson 2 of 10. Diamond Miller, who had 21 a night earlier against Chicago, managed eight on 3-of-12 shooting.

The Turning Point: The 14-0 Close to the First Half

Golden State already led comfortably at 41-27, but the closing stretch of the second quarter turned a rout into a formality. The Valkyries scored the final 14 points of the half while Connecticut came up empty for nearly four minutes. That run doubled the margin and drained whatever belief was left in the building. Anything that happened after halftime was essentially extended garbage time with a scoreboard attached.

The ball movement made it look easy. Golden State assisted on 24 of its 34 field goals and won the paint 42-28, and Burton's turnover column stayed at zero the entire night. When a team can toss 14 players into a road game and barely notice a drop-off, the depth chart starts to look like a cheat code.

Stats That Matter

• 54 bench points. A franchise record, led by Salaun's 15, Charles' 14 and Chen's 10.
• 54% vs. 31%. Golden State made 34 of 63 shots; Connecticut made 22 of 71.
• 10 blocks. Stokes and Prechtel each had three as the Valkyries owned the rim.
• 42-30 on the boards. Golden State's 36 defensive rebounds left the Sun almost nothing to clean up.
• 6 of 31 from deep. Connecticut's 19% from 3-point range never gave it a path back.

What It Means

Golden State improved to 27-11, including 12-6 on the road, and has now won two straight after a pair of losses to Minnesota and Chicago. The win completed a 3-0 sweep of the season series with Connecticut. The Valkyries' most lopsided win over the Sun had come in their first meeting, a 97-70 home win on May 25. They also tied season highs with 42 rebounds and 34 made field goals, according to the team.

Connecticut fell to 10-28 and 7-13 at home. The Sun were playing for a second straight night after beating Chicago 87-81 on Tuesday, and it showed in the legs and the shooting percentages.

There is no rest for the winners, either. The Valkyries play again on Thursday at New York, the back end of a back-to-back, while the Sun visit Indiana on Friday.

Final Word

There is a famous bit in sports movies where the scrubs get their moment at the end of the big game. Golden State skipped the dramatic buildup and just handed the scrubs the whole movie. When your bench scores 54 and none of your starters plays more than 20 minutes, the message to the rest of the league is pretty simple: this team does not have a second unit so much as a second wave.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game notes from the Associated Press and the Golden State Valkyries.