How former UConn women’s basketball stars performed in Week 1 of WNBA season

The Golden State Valkyries call their home arena ‘Ballhalla,’ but this season it could also be nicknamed Storrs West. Golden State is the only team in the league with more than two UConn women’s basketball alumni on its roster, currently carrying four Huskies. Former UConn standouts led the Valkyries in points, rebounds, steals and blocks in their matchup with the Chicago Sky last Wednesday, though the team suffered its first loss of the season 69-63.

Forward Gabby Williams looks on track for her second straight All-Star season, averaging career highs in points, rebounds and 3-point percentage through the first three games. She also leads the Valkyries in steals and is second only to star point guard Veronica Burton in assists. Williams dropped a team-high 18 points in the loss to Chicago, shooting 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.

The former Huskies star added five boards, a steal and a block to her final stat line. Center Kiah Stokes , who was teammates with Williams at UConn in 2014-15, had one of the most complete performances of her career for the Valkyries against Chicago. She grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and added five blocks, tied for the third-most she has ever logged in a single game over 17 seasons in the league.

It was also Stokes’ first career game with at least 10 boards and five blocks, and she added seven points for her highest-scoring night since June 2025. Kaitlyn Chen also continues to excel in her sophomore season with Golden State. The former UConn point guard has more than tripled her offensive production from her rookie year averaging 6.