Gabby Williams Leads Valkyries Past Dream 68-63 for First WNBA Championship

The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream took the floor Saturday night for the first Game 7 in WNBA history, and the Valkyries struck first, opening on an 8-0 run led by Kaila Charles’ four points. The league’s top defense set the tone early, recording five blocks in the first six minutes, and Atlanta didn’t score until the 4:40 mark of the first quarter, when a putback layup finally broke the drought. From there the Dream answered with a 7-0 run over 72 seconds, with Allisha Gray scoring five of those seven points, and Atlanta took its first lead of the night with 2:16 left in the quarter. Golden State regained control before the break and led 14-12 after one, with Veronica Burton leading all scorers with six points. The Valkyries shot 37.5% from the field in the period, compared to 29% for the Dream.

Atlanta took over in the second quarter, opening the period on a 7-0 run while Golden State missed its first five shots and Burton, the first-quarter scoring leader, started 0-4. Angel Reese knocked down a three-pointer early in the quarter, a good sign for Atlanta, since the Dream are undefeated this season when Reese hits a three, and a Jordin Canada layup pushed the lead to three. Kaitlyn Chen came in to give Burton a breather but was quickly pulled after a tough defensive assignment on Canada. Kayla Thornton then hit a much-needed three to bring the Valkyries within four, their first made three of the night after an 0-10 start from deep. Gabby Williams scored her first points of the game late in the quarter, and when Canada buried a three to reach 13 points in the half, Tiffany Hayes answered right back. Atlanta took a 30-24 lead into halftime after shooting 33.3% from the field, 18.8% from three (3-16) and 60% from the line (3-5), while Golden State shot 30% from the field, 9.1% from three (1-11) and 83.3% from the line (5-6). The Valkyries had six blocks in the half, while the Dream outscored Golden State 12-3 in second-chance points.

Williams opened the third quarter with a driving layup off a Burton assist, but Canada answered with a three and Rhyne Howard added a jumper to push the Dream’s lead back to seven. Kiah Stokes kept the Valkyries close inside with a putback and a cutting layup, and after DeWanna Bonner scored in transition for Atlanta, Cecilia Zandalasini hit a turnaround in the paint to keep Golden State within striking distance. A Thornton steal led to a Williams layup, and that’s where she found her rhythm. Izzy Borlase gave the Dream a lift off the bench with a three and a driving layup, both assisted by Canada, but Williams answered with three straight three-pointers, the last coming after a Reese hook in the post. With 1:05 left, Williams hit a turnaround jumper off another Burton assist to give the Valkyries the lead, finishing the quarter with 15 points while Atlanta went scoreless over the final 2:12. The Valkyries outscored the Dream 21-14 in the third and led 45-44 heading into the fourth.

Williams carried her hot hand into the fourth quarter with a pull-up jumper, and after a foul was called on Gray, the Dream challenged the call and lost, sending Williams to the line, where she hit both free throws to put the Valkyries up 51-46. Borlase finished an and-one to cut the lead to 51-49, and Gray hit a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 53 with under five minutes to play. Golden State then challenged a foul called on a Williams block on Canada, and the challenge was successful, so the Valkyries kept their final challenge. Williams hit two free throws after a Howard foul to put Golden State back up by two, but Gray answered with two of her own to tie it at 55. Williams hit a long-range three with 2:19 left in the game, and a big Stokes putback put the Valkyries up 64-57 with 53 seconds remaining. Gray’s three cut the lead to 64-60 with 34.2 seconds left, but former Dream guard Hayes hit two crucial free throws to put the Valkyries back up by six. The Dream trapped Williams in the corner and forced a jump ball, but Golden State got possession, and Burton was fouled right away and hit both free throws with 5.1 seconds left. Atlanta’s last three didn’t fall, and the Valkyries won the first WNBA title in franchise history with a 68-63 victory.