The Iowa Women's Basketball program is well-represented in the WNBA, and two of its former stars took to the court on Wednesday night.
Lucy Olsen and the Washington Mystics traveled to Oakland, California, to battle Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries in a Wednesday night clash in the W.
The Valkyries entered the game with a 0-1 record to start the season, following an 84-67 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on opening night.
After a close 90-85 win over the Connecticut Sun, the Mystics started the season 2-0 and were looking to push that to 3-0 on Wednesday night.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Chase Center in Oakland, California, the Golden State Valkyries took down the Washington Mystics to earn their first season victory, the first in franchise history.
The Valkyries held a slim 31-30 lead at halftime as the game remained close throughout. The Valkyries held their one point lead going into the final quarter of the game, and did not falter as they closed the game out with a 79-78 victory.
Martin was moved to the bench for this game and did not make a significant impact. In nine minutes, she tallied three rebounds and one blocked shot.
Olsen set a career-high in points with four, and did not put up any other stats in her nine minutes.
The big story of the game was eight-year veteran Brittney Sykes. In her third year with the Mystics, Sykes tallied a game-high 30 points, with five rebounds and three assists in the loss.
The Valkyries (1-1) make a short trip to Los Angeles for the next matchup against the Sparks on Friday, May 23, at 9:00 p.m. Central Time.
The Mystics (2-1) travel to Las Vegas for a game against the Aces on Friday, May 23, at 9:00 p.m. Central Time.