The Golden State Valkyries are up 1-0 in the WNBA Finals. Gabby Williams scored 26 points and the Valkyries held off the Atlanta Dream 68-64 at Chase Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, the first Finals win in franchise history, The San Francisco Standard reported.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday, Oct. 19, at Chase Center, with tipoff listed by the team at 5 p.m. Pacific. Full schedule: Valkyries vs. Dream Finals schedule.
How they won
- Williams scored 16 of her points in the second quarter as Golden State took a 42-39 halftime lead, according to AP and The Standard.
- Atlanta won the third quarter 17-9. The Valkyries answered by winning the fourth 17-8.
- Williams made all six of her free throws in the final 2:15, including two with 1:18 left to put Golden State ahead and two with 4.1 seconds left to seal it.
- Allisha Gray missed a potential go-ahead 3 in the final seconds.
It was not pretty: Golden State shot 32.1% and went 7 of 33 from 3-point range, and no other Valkyrie reached double figures, AP reported.
Injury watch
Williams was hurt in the fourth quarter when Dream guard Jordin Canada banged into her knee on a box-out during free throws; she was treated on the bench in the closing moments. Guard Tiffany Hayes hit her face on the floor going for a steal and walked off to the locker room on her own, according to AP.
What they said
"We always knew we were going to find a way somehow," Williams told the crowd as fans chanted "Gabby! Gabby!"
For Atlanta, Gray scored 19 in her return from a finger injury and Angel Reese added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Neither franchise has won a WNBA title.