SAN FRANCISCO – Carla Leite scanned the ground within the third quarter as she dealt with the ball on the prime of the arc on Thursday evening.
The Valkyries’ rookie guard then made her choice, unleashing a blur of a right-to-left crossover to get previous her Dallas defender.
Then she stopped. Then she popped. After which she dropped a righthanded floater softly by the rim whereas tumbling to the ground.
Sitting within the paint, the Chase Middle crowd reaching a deafening din and surrounded by teammates, Leite flexed as she set free a scream.
“I just tried to be ready for the moment,” Leite stated, virtually sheepishly.
The primary-year French flooring basic, who has averaged 7.9 factors and a pair of.1 assists over 34 video games, was greater than prepared for the second.
She took management of an 84-80 victory that punched the Valkyries’ ticket to the WNBA playoffs – guaranteeing a house sport that will probably be performed in San Jose in mid-September – of their first 12 months of existence, scoring 15 factors and shelling out 5 assists off the bench.
After the ultimate buzzer went off, Leite joined her teammates at midcourt, throwing on black “2025 Playoffs” shirts and posing for a celebratory picture few exterior of Ballhalla might have predicted earlier than the season.
The brash, assertive blur of purple-clad power – one who shot 6 of 8 from the sector – bore little resemblance to the timid rookie coach Natalie Nakase watched in coaching camp, the then 20-year-old who had been left unprotected by Dallas within the enlargement draft.
“She was telling everyone where to go,” Nakase stated. “That’s the growth I’ve seen from Carla, from not saying a lot, to now she’s taking English lessons, so she’s feeling very comfortable calling out her teammates.”
She was a prepared passer, connecting a number of instances with fellow French rookie Janelle Salaun for essential 3-pointers. In any case, in Leite’s eyes, why wouldn’t she wish to move the ball to a participant who was 3 of 4 from 3-point vary?
“It’s easy for me to pass the ball to Janelle,” Leite stated. “I read the game, and that’s it.”
Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) and Golden State Valkyries’ Carla Leite (0) have fun the go forward basket towards the Dallas Wings in direction of the tip of the fourth quarter of a WNBA sport at Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The Golden State Valkyries clinch a spot within the playoffs after defeating the Dallas Wings 84-80. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Leite has had higher-scoring nights, together with her profession excessive being a few 19-point video games. However by no means had she scored baskets as essential as those she made towards Dallas, when the sputtering Valkyries offense struggled to seek out gaps.
Leite made 5 of 6 photographs and scored 12 factors within the second half, incomes the belief of her coach within the course of.
After Leite supplied a shot of adrenaline to Golden State within the third quarter, Nakase opted to roll with the rookie over star guard Veronica Burton, who struggled for 3 and a half quarters.
Burton had no subject with the technique.
“For her to be ready in that moment, like this is a big moment, and being a rookie in this league and to step up the way she did, it is a testament to her mentality, her confidence, and her skillset,” Burton stated.
Her final basket was a testomony to her newfound confidence. With 2:25 left within the sport and the rating tied at 74-74, Leite calmly ran the choose and roll with Monique Billings.
Each defenders dropped into the paint, leaving the rookie vast open for the long-two.
Earlier within the 12 months, possibly Leite would have handed the ball to a teammate, or waited a second too lengthy to learn the protection and missed the chance.
However not on Thursday evening.
Leite, now poised to be a difference-maker within the postseason, buried the shot and gave Golden State a lead – and playoff berth – it could not relinquish.
She was mainly like, ‘Give me the effing ball. I’ve acquired this,’ Nakase stated.
The Golden State Valkyries have fun their WNBA win as they clinch a spot within the playoffs after defeating the Dallas Wings 84-80 at Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Sept 4, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Initially Printed: September 5, 2025 at 4:30 AM PDT
