SAN FRANCISCO — Veronica Burton caught the ball just outside the 3-point line with 30 seconds left in regulation. She was wide open, and although two Washington Mystics defenders tried to close out on her, it was too late.
Burton cashed in the dagger shot to put the Golden State Valkyries up by seven on the way to the franchise’s first win.
“These are the moments you don’t forget,” Burton said after Wednesday night’s 76-74 victory. “We’ve been in the gym working, training, and there’s been a lot of anticipation, a lot of build-up. … Just the emotions behind it, the feeling, [I’m] embracing this moment.”
As soon as the buzzer sounded, forward Kayla Thornton embraced Valkyries owner Joe Lacob and Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski courtside. A short time later, coach Natalie Nakase emerged from the locker room in a robe, saying that despite her best efforts to avoid getting drenched, her players soaked her. She said Burton was drenched next.
While it was a feel-good moment, the Valkyries (1-1) didn’t view the win as clearing a weight from their shoulders, but rather as the next step in what should be a natural progression of building their program.
“We’ve been working really hard for this,” Nakase said. “We’ve only played 80 minutes together,…
