Gabbie Marshall reacts to ex-teammate Kate Martin’s career-high night with Golden State Valkyries

Gabbie Marshall expressed admiration for her former Iowa women's basketball teammate Kate Martin's performance for the Golden State Valkyries in their narrow 81-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Thursday. Martin scored a career-high 21 points from the bench at the Chase Centre.

Marshall shared highlights of Martin's best moments on the court on her Instagram story. The video showed Martin making impressive shots, especially from the 3-point range, while the crowd went wild with excitement.

"KATE CAN'T MISS!" Marshall captioned the story.

Gabbie Marshall shares Kate Martin's impressive performance in a WNBA game on IG story. Image via @gabbie.marshall

Marshall, Martin and Caitlin Clark were a formidable trio at Iowa a few years back. The trio helped Iowa win the Big Ten title and reach the 2024 national championship, where they lost to Dawn Staley's South Carolina.

Following that season, Clark was drafted as the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. Martin joined the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the draft, while Marshall opted to retire from basketball to focus on her master's degree in North Carolina.

Clark had a phenomenal year with the Fever, winning the Rookie of the Year. Martin struggled with the Aces and was later redrafted by Golden State in December’s expansion draft ahead of this season.

Kate Martin came up clutch but in vain vs Liberty

The former Iowa superstar erupted in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points, including four 3-pointers in the final minutes, which nearly led the Valkyries to a dramatic upset. She shot 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, making a case for a starting lineup spot for future games.

"I stayed locked in and took what the defence gave me," Martin said after the game.

Since joining Golden State, Martin has gained momentum and established herself as one of the team's most talked-about players. The Valkyries also had their eighth home sellout crowd and delivered one of their best performances as a new WNBA franchise.

Aside from Martin, other notable Valkyries players in the game included Veronica Burton, who had 10 assists without a turnover, and Kayla Thornton, who had 11 points and seven rebounds.