Valkyries Take Finals Lead as Williams Delivers Late

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Gabby Williams scored four free throws in the final 78 seconds, putting the result beyond Atlanta’s reach. Golden State now leads 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, as both teams chase their first WNBA title.

The Final Minutes Belonged to Williams

Golden State trailed by one with 1 minute and 18 seconds remaining. Williams grabbed a rebound after Allisha Gray missed, then Angel Reese fouled her. Williams sank both free throws to put the Valkyries ahead 65-64. With 4.1 seconds left, she made two more. Atlanta had little time to respond.

Williams finished with a game-high 26 points. After going scoreless in the first quarter, she poured in 16 in the second and carried the scoring load on a tough shooting night for Golden State. No other Valkyries player reached double figures.

“Once we all started having fun and the excitement got out, we started to kind of find our way,” Williams said in an on-court interview. She added, “There was a lid on that basket tonight, but that's why we rely on our defence.” Her late free throws provided the decisive points. The team had built its season around defense.

Defense Set the Terms

The Valkyries allowed 335 fewer points than any other WNBA team that season. Williams, runner-up to Reese in Defensive Player of the Year voting, called the work behind that record a collective habit. “It came down to getting stops and that's been our bread-and-butter all year,” she said. “That's why we harp on it so much, because we've built such great defensive habits.”

Those habits mattered as Golden State struggled to score consistently. Williams stood out because no other Valkyries player reached double figures. The score left little room for comfort, and the closing stretch turned on a rebound, a foul and four successful free throws.

Atlanta’s fourth quarter fell apart. The Dream made two of 19 attempts from the floor and scored eight points in the period. Gray, the team’s leading scorer, returned after missing two games with a hand injury and finished with 19 points. She went scoreless in the fourth. Reese had 14 points and 12 rebounds, all 14 points coming in the first half. Rhyne Howard scored 12.

“I don't think they really did anything,” Reese said. “Maybe that was just on me; I wasn't aggressive enough with the ball and trying to get the ball and get to my spot. I'm definitely going to do a better job of that next game.” Reese blamed her own play, while the numbers showed how little Atlanta produced in the final quarter.

A Title Still Up for Grabs

One win doesn’t decide a series. Golden State was set to host Game 2 on Monday, with both teams still seeking their first WNBA title. Atlanta had lost in three previous Finals appearances, most recently in 2013. Golden State reached the playoffs in its inaugural season the previous year, becoming the first WNBA expansion franchise to do so. Now, in its second season, it is competing for the title.

Game 1 came down to what players could deliver under pressure: Williams’ scoring, Golden State’s defensive habits and Atlanta’s fourth-quarter shooting. The Valkyries leave with the series lead. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday.