Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever saw their three-game winning streak snapped after a heartbreaking 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday. The defeat drops the Fever to 4-3, leaving them trailing the 4-2 Atlanta Dream in the Eastern Conference standings.
Playing in just their second WNBA season, the Valkyries showed early dominance on their home floor, jumping out to a quick seven-point lead in the opening quarter. While the Fever punched right back with a massive 30-point second quarter to force a 44-44 equalizer at halftime, late-game execution and heavy whistle trouble ultimately doomed their road trip.
Aliyah Boston Calls Out Foul Trouble During Fever-Valkyries Clash
The Valkyries hosted the Fever at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on May 28. While they maintained their pace throughout, the Fever found themselves in an active whistle territory. The team was hit with 25 total personal fouls, sending their opponents to the charity stripe 28 times, where they cashed in 20 points.
But the biggest casualty of this officiating was the three-time WNBA All-Star, Boston, who struggled to make a proper impact. She accumulated 4 personal fouls within 22 minutes, limiting her entry from any active zones on the court. The 24-year-old scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, and zero assists in 23 minutes, and shot 4-of-11 (36.4%) from the floor.
In the post-game conference, the former Rookie of the Year kept it real and addressed how the constant foul calls took away her aggressive edge.
“I wasn’t able to get into a flow. It’s super hard to figure out how the refs are going to be calling it. It’s hard to get charge fouls when they’re not in legal position. Shoutout to the Valks for selling it, and the refs bought it, to be honest,” said Boston.
“I wasn’t able to get into a flow. It’s super hard to figure out how the refs are going to be calling it. It’s hard to get charge fouls when they’re not in legal position. Shout to the Valks for selling it and the refs bought it, to be honest.”
Steph’s smile at the end 💀 pic.twitter.com/RU2fsLljky
— allison (@_girltalk) May 29, 2026
While the Fever dealt with foul trouble, their offense also seemed to lack its usual fluidity. Caitlin Clark led Indiana with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, but was restricted by the Valkyries’ defense to a tough 3-of-12 (25%) from the field and 2-of-6 from downtown. Rookie Raven Johnson contributed 16 points on 7-of-10 field shooting, and Kelsey Mitchell scored 14 points in 30 minutes.
Valkyries’ Veronica Burton put on the night’s highest scoring performance with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on an efficient 7-of-13 field shooting. Following her, Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaün both turned in 19-point performances, combined with 13 boards and 9 assists to protect home court at Ballhalla and secure the signature victory.
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The Fever next face the Portland Fire (5-3) at the Moda Center on Saturday, May 30. They’ll need to address defensive issues, sharpen the offense, and adapt to officiating to maintain momentum.
