SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Courtney Williams added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists and the Minnesota Lynx beat the expansion Golden State Valkyries 86-75 on Sunday night.
Minnesota (7-0) tied with New York a top the WNBA standings after losing in the championship series to the Liberty last season.
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Golden State Valkyries' Monique Billings (25) defends against Minnesota Lynx's Jessica Shepard (15) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Tiffany Hayes (15) puts up a shot in the first half as the Golden State Valkyries played the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Kate Martin (20) drives to the basket in the first half as the Golden State Valkyries played the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, center, is defended by Golden State Valkyries' Cecilia Zandalasini (24) and Stephanie Talbot, right, in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The Valkyries (2-4) made WNBA history with three consecutive sellout crowds in the first three home games at the 18,064-capacity Chase Center, which is also the home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Williams hit a 3-pointer 3:01 into the third quarter that gave the Lynx the lead for good and sparked a 27-5 run, capped when Collier and Williams hit 3s 27 seconds apart to make it 83-61 with 5:43 to play. Natisha Hiedeman scored all of her eight points and added two assists and two steals in Minnesota's game-breaking spurt.
Kayla McBride scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Bridget Carleton added 12 points for the Lynx.
Veronica Burton hit three 3-pointers and finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Golden State. Kate Martin added 14 points and Kayla Thornton had 11.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Golden State Valkyries' Monique Billings (25) defends against Minnesota Lynx's Jessica Shepard (15) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Tiffany Hayes (15) puts up a shot in the first half as the Golden State Valkyries played the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Kate Martin (20) drives to the basket in the first half as the Golden State Valkyries played the Minnesota Lynx at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith, center, is defended by Golden State Valkyries' Cecilia Zandalasini (24) and Stephanie Talbot, right, in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.
The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.
People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”
Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.
“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”
The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”
This comes as the U.S. military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.
Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.
Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes on boats in September.
U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy.
The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.
Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S.
Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Residents evacuate a building near the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
