Storm Fall to Valkyries 78-76 in preseason

Seattle came up just short against Golden State.

(San Francisco, California) - The WNBA opened up its preseason on Saturday, April 25th, and we got to see the new-look Seattle Storm in action against another WNBA team for the first time in 2026. The Storm were without several key players, including Jordan Horston (Left Knee), Natisha Hiedeman (Left Foot), Ezi Magbegor (Right Foot), Katie Lou Samuelson (Right Knee), and Awa Fam (NWT). At a minimum, that’s 3/5th of the team’s expected starting lineup. Despite that, they played quite well for a very young team that only started playing together six days ago. The Storm were most impressive in the first half, where they led by 11 points late in the 2nd quarter. Ultimately, a rough second half cost them the game as they were outscored 45-34 over the final two periods. They fought back late in the fourth quarter, but came up short. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Seattle Storm 78-76.

Three Storm players scored in double figures Saturday night. They were led by rookie Flau’jae Johnson, who finished with 12 points on 5-10 FG and four rebounds. Zia Cooke was tied for the team lead, as she added 12 points off the bench. Cooke did a good job of getting to the free throw line, knocking down 6-6 FT. Dominique Malonga chipped in with 10 points and a team-high five rebounds, but had a poor shooting night. She finished 3-10 FG and missed at least two or three shots she would normally make. Malonga knocked down a three-pointer in the game and got to the foul line for six free throws.

Outside of those three players, the Storm had good balance. Four additional players scored seven points or more. Jade Melbourne and Lexie Brown contributed nine points each. Melbourne particularly looked good on the offensive end, converting 4-6 FG and hitting her only three-point attempt. Unfortunately, she picked up three fouls in the first period, limiting her time on the court. Brown had an up-and-down game. She hit 2-3 FG from beyond the arc and pulled down three rebounds, but had zero assists and three turnovers. Jaelyn Brown was solid off the bench. She scored eight points. Rennia Davis came in late and helped rally the team in the 4th quarter. She scored all seven of her points on 3-5 FG during the game’s final six minutes. Davis also pulled down four rebounds.

Seattle lost most of the statistical battle in this game, but outscored Golden State 26-20 inside the paint. They also outscored the Valkyries 15-5 in second-chance points. They were pretty good at protecting the ball. They committed just 14 turnovers throughout the game (compared to 20 for GSV). That wasn’t too bad considering their lack of experience.

Golden State Valkyries

Veronica Burton proved that last year was not a fluke. She finished with 14 points. She knocked down 4-7 FG from the three-point line. Burton was tied with Kaitlyn Chen for a team-high three assists. Speaking of Chen, she also played well as the team’s backup point guard off the bench. She finished with 11 points on 5-9 FG and three assists.

Miela Sowah was the hero of the game for the Valkyries. She finished with 14 points off the bench and didn’t even play in the first half. Sowah was a deadeye from beyond the arc, connecting on a perfect 4-4 FG from beyond the arc. Her impressive shooting completely changed the momentum of the game and put the Valkyries ahead for good in the final period. Golden State killed Seattle with the long ball. They shot 46% (15-33 FG) from the three-point line compared to 39% (7-18 FG) for the Storm. The Valkyries outscored Seattle by 24 points from beyond the arc.

Marta Suarez, who was traded for Flau’jae Johnson on draft night, had a couple of nice plays in the game. She knocked down a three-pointer and drove past Stefanie Dolson for a layup on another possession.

Golden State outshot Seattle 46% (27-59 FG) to 39% (25-64 FG). They out-rebounded the Storm 35-30. They had more assists (16-12), steals (9-7), and blocked shots (3-1). The Valkyries’ bench also outscored Seattle’s reserves 44-36.

Game Breakdown

Veronica Burton knocked down a three-pointer to score the game’s first points. Dominique Malonga hit a little turnaround jumper just outside the paint. Lexie Brown was fouled and split, and the two free throws. Jade Melbourne scored on a floater in the lane. Tiffany Hayes knocked down a three-pointer. Malonga was fouled and made both foul shots. Kayla Thornton hit a tough fadeaway. Then Burton hit her second three-pointer in the opening quarter. Kate Martin split two free throws.

Zia Cooke checked in and knocked down a pull-up midrange jumper. Grace VanSlooten had a nice block that allowed the Storm to get out in transition as Cooke found Melbourne for an open three-pointer to tie the game. Then Jade got to the rim again to put the Storm back ahead by two. A 7-0 run by the Valkyries put them ahead by five at 19-14. Lexie Brown and Laeticia Amihere swapped baskets. Cooke scored on a difficult catch at the end of the period. The Valkyries led 21-18 at the end of the first period.

Taina Mair found Malonga down low, but Dom rushed the shot. Mair grabbed the offensive rebound and flipped it back in. Seattle got another stop, and Mair found Flau’jae Johnson leaking out for an easy transition layup. The quick 4-0 run to begin the 2nd period forced Coach Natalie Nakase to call a timeout for Golden State.

Out of the timeout, Burton knocked down her third triple of the game. Flau’jae connected on a dribble pull-up from the midrange. Lexie Brown made a transition three. Johnson continued her impressive second quarter. She went behind her back and then knocked down a step-back corner three. Flau’jae got to the rim on a strong layup and was fouled for the AND1.

The Storm pushed their lead to nine after VanSlooten found Jaelyn Brown in the corner for a triple. Brown then found Lexie Brown for a three-ball. Thornton immediately responded on the other end. Seattle led Golden State 42-33 at the midway point.

Kate Martin knocked down a triple to begin the third quarter. Marta Suarez got past Stefanie Dolson for the easy layup. After another Lexie Brown turnover, Amihere found Martin for another three-pointer. Golden State opened up the second half with an 8-0 run, forcing Coach Sonia Raman to call a timeout.

Dom Malonga hit a three at the top of the arch. Marta Suarez answered with a three on the other end. Cate Reese and Zia Cooke swapped free throws as the two teams exchanged the lead back and forth. Kaitlyn Chen got to the line and then scored again in transition. Mackenzie Holmes knocked down an open three. Reese answered on the other end with a triple of her own. Seattle led 56-54 at the end of the third.

Miela Sowah hit back-to-back three-pointers to begin the fourth quarter. Caroline Ducharme came into the game, and she hit a three. Flau’jae tried to stop the bleeding with a jumper. Then Sowah knocked down another shot from beyond the arc. Sowah scored 14 points in less than 10 minutes off the bench, including knocking down 4-4 FG from beyond the arc.

Rennia Davis checked into the game for the first time and immediately got an offensive rebound and scored. That cut Golden State’s lead down to five at 68-63 with a little under six minutes to play in the game. Davis scored again on a nice floater. Chen answered with a drive of her own. Davis then had an AND1 to cut the Valkyries’ lead down to two at 70-68. Chen converted another basket near the rim. She tried another one, but Grace VanSlooten had a major rejection, and Jaelyn Brown recovered the ball and was fouled. She knocked both to tie the game.

Mariella Fasoula buried a three-pointer to give the Valkyries the lead again. VanSlooten split two free throws, and Jaelyn Brown knocked in a jumper to tie the game again. Seattle got the initial stop but was called for a moving screen. They got another stop on the defensive end, but gave up another offensive rebound. This one was costly as it allowed Fasoula to slip open for an easy layup. Brown took a turnaround jumper in the paint, but left it short.

Seattle had one last chance and set up a beautifully designed play to get Elle Ladine wide-open for a three-pointer that just rimmed out. That would have tied the game and sent it to OT. Ladine missed but ended up getting the ball back and was fouled. She made one of two free throws, but the Storm ran out of time. The Valkyries hung on to win the game 78-76.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (0-1) will host the Portland Fire (0-0) on Wednesday, April 29th, at 7:00 PM PT. It is the team’s final preseason game before the regular season on May 8th at home against the Golden State Valkyries.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts and discussion from Saturday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries. This is normally sent exclusively to paid subscribers, but because it is preseason, it’ll be sent out to everyone.

Notes:
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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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