Tiffany Hayes Leads Valkyries Past Liberty 87-70 Behind 13 Threes
tiffany hayes and the Golden State Valkyries beat the New York Liberty 87-70 on May 21, 2026, handing New York a loss to open a seven-game homestand. The result came after the Liberty had beaten Golden State in back-to-back games a year earlier, and this time the expansion team built control with perimeter shooting and a fast first quarter.
Golden State’s early run
25 points in the first quarter gave Golden State the edge that held up. The Liberty fell behind 25-15, then trimmed the margin to two points early in the second quarter before the Valkyries regained control and went into halftime up by eight.
13 of 35 from 3-point range powered the visitors, including a 5-for-10 opening quarter and a 2-for-10 second quarter that still left New York chasing. Golden State then outscored the Liberty 21-12 in the third quarter, a stretch that stretched the game beyond the home team’s reach before Chris DeMarco sent Han Xu into the game with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter and New York down by 20.
Stewart and Jones carry New York
18 points and nine rebounds from Breanna Stewart led the Liberty, while Jonquel Jones added 16 points and eight rebounds. Stewart’s line stood out because New York’s offense still could not keep pace with the Valkyries’ shot-making, and the Liberty finished 6-for-24 from 3-point range.
“I feel like not much went right,” Stewart said. “We gave a lot of 3s up to a pretty good shooting team and then we couldn’t get back into it.” She added, “Defensively, like setting the tone of giving 25 points in the first quarter gave them a level of confidence and a head of steam that we couldn’t contain for the moment.”
New York’s early-season problem
Jonquel Jones called the loss “disappointing,” then pointed to the bigger issue in a season that is still just getting started. “It’s just obviously a learning experience for us. It’s still early in the season, we’re not making excuses, but we do understand that we’re not where we want to be. And we’re definitely not in playoff mode (yet) nor do we expect to be so we’re still learning, we’re still going to grow from this and we’ll be OK.”
The game was also the latest sign that Golden State can punish a team that gives up clean looks. New York spent the night trailing after a week away from game action, and the Liberty never found a stretch that matched the Valkyries’ pace or shot volume. For a home team trying to settle into a long homestand, that is the part to clean up first.
