Zandalasini's 20 pace Valkyries as Liberty held to season-low 60

Cecilia Zandalasini scored 14 of her 20 points before halftime, and the Golden State Valkyries never let the New York Liberty find a rhythm.

Zandalasini finished 8-for-17 from the field and 4-for-10 from three with five rebounds in 31 minutes Thursday night at Barclays Center. CBS Sports' box matches that line. Gabby Williams added 16 points, Veronica Burton handed out a season-high 13 assists with eight points, and Tiffany Hayes scored 12 off the bench in a 79-60 win, the Associated Press reported.

Golden State improved to 28-11 and to 3-0 against New York this season. The Liberty (23-16) are the only team Golden State has swept in the season series, and New York has yet to beat the Valkyries in 2026.

Four first-half threes

Zandalasini made four 3-pointers in the first half as Golden State built a 42-30 lead. She mixed catch-and-shoot looks with pull-ups from the wing, and the Liberty's help defense arrived a step late. The Valkyries opened the third on an 11-6 run and scored the first six points of the fourth to push the margin to 65-47, per the AP.

New York had scored 80 or more in 16 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history, before Thursday. The Liberty managed 60 points on 19-for-63 shooting (30.2 percent) and 7-for-31 from three. Those 60 points were New York's season low, and the three meetings with Golden State this year (70, 67 and 60) are New York's three lowest-scoring games of the season.

Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 18 points and seven rebounds. Breanna Stewart added 16 on 4-for-10 shooting. A six-game home winning streak ended. Sabrina Ionescu finished with seven points on 2-for-12 shooting and 1-for-9 from three.

Defense travels

Golden State was coming off an 89-64 win at Connecticut on Wednesday. Against New York, the Valkyries committed seven turnovers, forced the Liberty into nine, and finished with 39 rebounds to New York's 32 on CBS's player board. Golden State also went 13-for-33 from three as a team.

Kiah Stokes had nine rebounds and four assists. Janelle Salaun pulled seven boards off the bench. Burton's 13 assists paced a 23-assist night and kept Zandalasini and Williams in rhythm without forcing contested midrange looks late.

Zandalasini's plus-17 led the starters. She scored in every quarter except the third, when she still set up Burton for a layup, and she closed with enough defensive possessions to keep New York from a late run once the lead reached 18.

Sweep complete

Thursday was the third time Golden State has held New York under 71 points this season. The Valkyries also won the June 28 meeting 76-67, the AP noted in its season-series context. New York entered averaging nearly 90 points per game and left Barclays Center with its worst offensive night of 2026.

Zandalasini's four first-half threes set a tone the Liberty never matched from deep. New York's 22.6 percent from three (7-for-31) sat well below Golden State's 39.4 percent (13-for-33). When Jones and Stewart tried to bully the paint late, Stokes and Salaun contested enough looks to force kickouts into a cold perimeter.

Hayes' 12 points in 13 minutes gave Golden State a second unit that outscored stretches of New York's starters. Charles added six points and five rebounds. The bench depth kept Zandalasini's minutes at 31 without asking her to create every possession after the third quarter.

The Valkyries visit Portland on Sunday. New York hosts Chicago on Saturday.

Sources

https://apnews.com/article/valkyries-liberty-score-19985eeef2bbcc1f961852b1c2d0e2c6

https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/gametracker/boxscore/WNBA_20260827_GS@NYL/

https://www.statmuse.com/wnba/game/8-27-2026-gsv-at-nyl-8034