Williams shines in Valkyries comeback win over Dream in WNBA Finals

SAN FRANCISCO — Gabby Williams wasn’t going to be denied on the biggest stage.

Williams scored 26 points as the Golden State Valkyries drew first blood in a 68-64 victory in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday afternoon at Chase Center.

Williams scored the final seven points of the game including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line as she iced the game for with 4.1 seconds left in the game for Golden State who came from behind to Atlanta its first loss of the postseason.

Golden State, the best defensive team in the WNBA throughout the season put the clamps down on Atlanta, shutting them out in the final 3:12 of the game as the Dream shot a nightmarish 0-for-7 down the stretch.

"Even though we were down with a few minutes left, I think we had the game right where we wanted it," Williams said after the game, "because it just came down to getting stops. That's been our bread and butter all season. That's why we harp on it so much because we've built great defensive habits for these moments."

It was an electric atmosphere inside the walls of Ballhalla. The sold-out crowd of 18,064 were in a frenzy during the pregame introductions.

Actress Rita Moreno banged the ceremonial big drum on the court. The Valkyries made history as became the earliest expansion to make the WNBA Finals in its second year of existence.

Atlanta jumped out to an 11-5 start halfway through the first quarter thanks to a cold start by Golden State. The Valkyries tried their perimeter game and began 0-for-6 from beyond arc. Two turnovers led to two layups at the other end for the Dream.

Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase went to her bench during the media timeout bringing in Kaitin Chen, Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles. Chen made an immediate impact as Chen had five points and an assist including the team’s first made three-pointer after starting 0-for-8.

After a 7-2 run by the Valkyries that gave them their first lead at 14-13, the Dream closed out the opening quarter with a 8-0 run for a 22-14 lead. Superstar center Angel Reese led Atlanta with 11 points.

Atlanta used their size to create chances down low in the paint often receiving fouls calls on drives to the rim from the officials.

The Valkyries found its groove both offensively and defensively in the second quarter. After being down 37-30, they went on a 12-0 run to go up 42-37, their biggest lead of the half with 1:06 left in the first half.

Williams scored 16 of her 26 points in the second quarter.

Golden State outscored Atlanta 28-17 in the quarter to take a 42-39 lead into the locker room after 20 minutes.

The Dream made adjustments at halftime as they stormed out to an 11-2 run to go up 50-44. The Valkyries bounced back with a 7-0 run to go up 51-50 with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter.

"We were right there,” said Dream head coach Karl Smesko. “Right there. That's why it hurts a little bit, but it also motivates us."

Atlanta closed out the third quarter with the final six points to take a 56-51 lead into the fourth quarter. The Dream held the Valks to just nine points in the quarter as their defense swarmed Golden State into taking poor percentage shots with the shot clock expiring.

In the fourth quarter, points were at a premium as both defenses dominated the first half of the quarter with a combined 10 points scored.

Kiah Stokes, who played a big role on the defensive side of the ball, finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Cecilia Zandalasini chipped in with eight points.

Golden State kept Reese quiet after the first quarter as she only had three more points the rest of the game to finish with 14. Allisha Gray led the Dream in points with 18 but had a poor shooting game going 5-for-19 from the field, including 1-for-8 beyond the arc.

"It kind of just fits into who we are," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. "That's been our identity. We rely on it. We know it's effort. We know it's the details…That's kind of been our you know our philosophy, especially down the stretch in close games. You could see that it's just kind of, 'Here we go again.' So, it's the same thing. There's a lot of familiarity and composure down the stretch."

Game 2 of the WNBA Finals is set for Monday Ocotober 19 at 5:00pm at Chase Center.