Golden State Valkyries' Kate Martin (20) and Kaila Charles (6) go up for a rebound against Indiana Fever's Aerial Powers (23) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Rupert hits five 3s for career-high 21 points, Valkyries beat Fever 75-63

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Iliana Rupert scored a career-high 21 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Indiana Fever 75-63 on Sunday night to move closer to a playoff berth in their first season.

The Valkyries (21-18) shot 7 for 8 on 3-pointers in the first quarter and led by 20 before finishing 12 for 19 behind the arc — five from Rupert — and trimmed their magic number to three with five games remaining. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles and bunched with the Fever (21-19) and Seattle (22-19) for playoff seeding.

Janelle Salaun and Kate Martin both added 10 points for Golden State and Veronica Burton had 13 assists.

Reserve Aerial Powers scored 17 points to lead the Fever, who are still without reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. Kelsey Mitchell had 14 points and Natasha Howard 13 but Aliyah Boston was held to four, almost 12 below her average.

The game had a long delay in the opening minutes because of technical difficulties with the shot clocks, which went out with the Fever on top 3-2. After it was determined to play with temporary shot clocks on the baseline, ending a 20-minute delay, the Valkyries took off, making four consecutive 3s.

By the end of the quarter the Valkyries had a 25-14 lead and a franchise record for 3s in a quarter.

They quickly pushed the lead to 20 but the Fever recovered from the foul line and trailed 44-32 at the half.

Indiana pulled to 55-50 with 7 1/2 minutes to play when the Valkyries began hitting 3s again. Golden State was 8 of 12 in the fourth quarter and Indiana was 5 of 15.

Fever visit Phoenix on Tuesday, and Valkyries host New York.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) goes up to shoot in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever in San Francisco, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark reacts at the end of the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Golden State Valkyries, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
San Francisco 49ers NFL football players George Kittle, third from left, Ricky Pearsall, right, and Kyle Juszczyk, left, cheer on the sideline in the first half of a WNBA basketball game as the Golden State Valkyries played the Indiana Fever in San Francisco, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) shoots a 3-point basket over Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles