{"id":852959,"date":"2026-09-19T06:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/852959\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T06:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:32:27","slug":"valkyries-beat-fire-behind-chen-amihere-jocyte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/852959\/","title":{"rendered":"Valkyries beat Fire behind Chen, Amihere, Jocyte"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 A night that began with the novelty of third-round pick Kokoro Tanaka walloping the pregame drum followed an otherwise familiar script as the Valkyries returned from their three-week FIBA hiatus.<\/p>\n

Sans all-star Gabby Williams, sixth player of the year frontrunner Janelle Salaun and starting wing Ceci Zandalasini, the Valkyries suffocated the expansion Portland Fire early, saw their double-figure halftime lead cut to just six in the third, and then found their groove again to close out an easy 82-66 victory.<\/p>\n

Oh, and the bench that has spurred the team to so many victories? They showed up in full force, even down Salaun.<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Chen knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead a Valkyries bench that scored 43 points. Backup five Laeticia Amihere provided a major scoring boost as a reserve too. She used her foot speed to slice up the trudging Portland bigs in space, spurring an 8-0 run in the third quarter and finishing the day with 17 points.<\/p>\n

The duo created a lively pick-and-roll duo who tried to one-up one another by giving the other half credit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so much fun to play with her today, every day, but especially tonight,\u201d Chen said, with Amihere adding, \u201cShe bailed me out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayla Thornton and Tip Hayes each put in 13 points as starters.<\/p>\n

So much for rust. After two weeks of rough-and-tumble practices, the \u201cstay-ready\u201d players put on a show.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe make sure we\u2019ve matched up our first unit to our second unit, and it\u2019s not just playing against the scout guys, and we allow our first team to really go at them,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cI mean, if you\u2019re playing our first unit, I think that\u2019s pretty tough because of the physicality they bring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Valkyries guard Carla Leite poured in 12 points and dished out six assists for the Fire. The Valkyries emptied the bench late in the fourth, giving a chance to the rest of the stay ready crew to get some burn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stay ready group is honestly just really talented, and we have a deep team and so when we\u2019re able to get up and get into these games, it\u2019s really fun to go out and play with each other,\u201d Ashten Prechtel said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing against each other and practicing hard for three weeks, so it feels nice to out there and play well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portland became the seventh consecutive opponent to be held to 70 points or fewer.<\/p>\n

Golden State (30-11) will play host to Seattle on Saturday evening for its final home game of the regular season. Golden State is currently the second seed in the standings.<\/p>\n

FIBA stars still out<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1), right, and Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Sala\u00fcn (13), left, sit on the bench during a game against the Portland Fire at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams, Ceci Zandalasini and Salaun were all healthy scratches against the Fire. France\u2019s Williams and Salaun both made it all it to the final against the USA, while Zandalasini\u2019s Italian side were knocked out in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

All three are back with the Valkyries, but the organization is being deliberate with their return to the rotation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey look good, but they felt like they needed that rest and recovery,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cThey needed that sleep more importantly, because of the time change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jocyte gets early minutes<\/p>\n

\"SANSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 02: Juste Jocyte #4 of the Golden State Valkyries reacts after making a three-point shot against the Portland Fire in the first half during a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game at Chase Center on June 2, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images)\u00a0<\/p>\n

With so many wings out, the team\u2019s most ballyhooed prospect received some major minutes \u2026 just not at the position the team has been training her at.<\/p>\n

Juste Jocyte, nominally a point guard, played forward during her first stint, sticking to the corners on offense while guarding up a position. She did make a nice pass to Kaitlyn Chen on one possession, swinging the ball for an assist. She then buried a sidestep 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter to bring the crowd to life.<\/p>\n

She buried another 3-pointer from the same corner to begin the second quarter as part of a run of six uninterrupted minutes. She was part of a Veronica Burton-Chen-Amihere-Kiah Stokes lineup that overwhelmed Portland in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Jocyte finished the night with nine points, fouling out in the fourth quarter after playing 18 minutes. That was a late development that absolutely thrilled Nakase.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved it. She used all her fouls,\u201d Nakase said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about with physicality. She wasn\u2019t afraid. She didn\u2019t waiver either. Her face, if you can see it, she was really confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Laeticia Amihere (3) takes a shot against Portland Fire’s Karlie Samuelson (44), Portland Fire’s Frieda Buhner (20), and Portland Fire’s Holly Winterburn (77) in the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) celebrates after making a basket against the Portland Fire in the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) runs after the ball against Portland Fire’s Nyadiew Puoch (13) in the fist quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes (41) takes a shot against Portland Fire’s Megan DiLeo (17) in the fist quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Kokoro Tanaka waves to fans before banging on the drum before a game against Portland Fire at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) takes a shot against Portland Fire’s Charisma Osborne (24) in the third quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) celebrates making a three-point shot against the Portland Fire in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Miela Sowah (7) stands on the court during a game against the Portland Fire in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Ashten Prechtel (11) stands on the court during a game against the Portland Fire in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2), Golden State Valkyries’ Kaila Charles (6), Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) and Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) laugh on the bench during a game against the Portland Fire in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Laeticia Amihere (3) celebrates blocking a shot with Golden State Valkyries’ Miela Sowah (7) against Portland Fire’s Charisma Osborne (24) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\n\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) and Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) cheer on the sidelines after Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) makes a shot against the Portland Fire in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Shae Hammond\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 A night that began with the novelty of third-round pick Kokoro Tanaka walloping the pregame…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[402,3805,2356,4804,10831,2558,10836,5284,10838,99,434],"class_list":["post-852959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-basketball","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-golden-state-valkyries","tag-inside-sports","tag-latest-headlines","tag-peninsula","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-county","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}