Valkyries instant analysis: Juste Jocyte debuts in blowout victory over Sun
SAN FRANCISCO – The Chase Center crowd rose to their feet in unison to celebrate the momentous occasion with 4:48 left in the Valkyries 97-70 victory over the Sun on Monday night.
Tapped by coach Natalie Nakase a few seconds prior, rookie forward Juste Jocyte checked into her first game as a Valkyrie, 405 days after being selected No. 5 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft.
The fans remained on their feet and roared louder than they had at any point in the night when Jocyte drifted to the midrange and buried a smooth lefthanded jumper from the baseline for her first two points in the WNBA.
“That was amazing, and she scored, I think, in five seconds,” Nakase said. “I was like, ‘Does she know the plays?'”
The 20-year-old finished the game with 5 points and and two assists in five minutes.
“This is just a glimpse of what she’s capable of,” Gabby Williams said.
Williams scored 15 points for the Valkyries, while Veronica Burton had 11 points and six assists. No starter eclipsed the 20-minute mark. Stanford alum Ashten Prechtel also made her WNBA debut, and made a 3-pointer. Kaitlyn Chen scored 10 points, her second game in a row in double figures.
Connecticut, in the midst of its final season in the Northeast, has looked like a team that is already prepared to take up residence in Houston as the reborn Comets in 2027. Aneesah Morrow, one of the team’s few players with long-term potential to be a contributor in the league, scored 11 points.
Golden State's second round draft pick Ashlon Jackson played 14 minutes and scored six points.
The game was uncompetitive by halftime, when the Valkyries led 47-30. The lead ballooned to 73-48 by the end of the third quarter.
The Valkyries (4-2) will play host to Cailtin Clark and the Fever on Thursday, a rematch of Saturday's loss in Indianapolis.
Zandalasini's comeback bolsters wing depth
The Chase Center crowd stood and applauded with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter, welcoming Zandalasini back to the court after missing four games with a concussion.
She knocked down her first 3-pointer, and then drained another in the second quarter. She finished the day with six points in 14 minutes.
The 30-year-old wing brings back deadeye shooting to a roster that often struggles to knock down shots. She shot 40.7% of her 3-point attempts last season, and is a career 41.1% shooter from distance.
Zandalasini also provided Nakase with another option to a deep collection on the wing, checking in before Salaun or Jocyte.
Williams pops off
Williams scored 10 early points, knocking down a few 3-pointers and dropping in a layup to get the crowd going, and then canning a smooth midrange shot to get up to double figures within five minutes. After putting up only six points against Indiana, she scored 15 points, giving her four double-figure outings in the team’s first six games.
Though the stats did not show it — Williams did not have a steal or block — she made her presence felt as a disruptive team defender. Digging into passing lanes, making the correct rotations agaisnt a Sun team that scored only 48 points through three quarters.
Griner out
Only one point away from a historic milestone, future Hall of Famer Brittney Griner was relegated to the bench with a rib injury on Monday night.
Griner's next free throw or basket will take her to the 6,000 point milestone, a hallowed group that is inhabited by only 18 players.
The center is playing her first season with the Sun, having spent 11 seasons with PHoenix before rostering in Atlanta last year.
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 9:29 PM.