She led the Valkyries with 15 points in the first half. Backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen gave the Valkyries a boost, scoring seven off the bench. Golden State led by as much as nine in the second quarter and took a 39-34 lead at halftime. The Valkyries will finish their five-game on Sunday when they play the Seattle Storm.

And when she drilled it, cutting New York’s lead to a point with 11.4 seconds remaining, Martin did more than keep alive the Valkyries’ pursuit of victory, more than provoke a higher octave from Chase Center’s roar. She authored a moment. Her moment. One that could reverberate into the remaining season.

Coming off the bench in an 81-78 loss to the Liberty, the Valkyries’ second-year guard lit up the visitors to the tune of a career-high 21 points – 14 in the fourth quarter. Each of the four 3-pointers she made in the final 10 minutes drew a roar from the raucous sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center.