The Golden State Valkyries faced off against the defending WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, on Tuesday. They dropped the first of back-to-back games in New York, 95-67, bringing their record to an even 2-2 on their season.

The team struggled to stop the Liberty's high-powered offense, which finished with 30 assists compared to the Valkyries' 16.

The Liberty got out to an early 6-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game and never relinquished it. A steal by Thornton against her former team helped the Valkyries get their first points. Before the game, Thornton was presented with her 2024 WNBA championship ring.

The Valkyries struggled on both sides of the ball, ending the first quarter trailing 27-10.

Valkyries guard Veronica Burton responded quickly in the first seconds of the second quarter with a 3-pointer, starting off what would be a scrappy second quarter. The first half ended with the Liberty leading 48-29, but the Valkyries kept up with the Liberty, scoring 19 to the Liberty's 21 in the second.

The Valkyries' offensive rhythm from the end of the first half continued in the third as Thornton and Burton scored the first points of the quarter. Fágbénlé, Carla Leite and Janelle Salaun helped the Valkyries outscore the Liberty 22 to 19 in the third.

Ultimately, the Valkyries' shots were not falling as they shot under 34% from the field. The Liberty also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Valkyries 40 to 16. The Valkyries ended up losing 95-67 in their first game of the week against the Liberty

Like most of the team, the Valkyries' top scorers, Thornton, Burton and Salaun, struggled to find their shots for most of the game. Thornton shot 3 for 10 from the field, while Burton shot 3 for 11 and 2 for 7 from the 3-point line.

Fágbénlé shot a perfect 5 for 5 from the field, finishing with 11. Kate Martin scored 10, for a Valkyries' bench which was outscored by the Liberty 37 to 19.  

Their next game will be a rematch against the Liberty on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST.  Catch the game on KPIX 5.