Transcript: Golden State Valkyries 68, Atlanta Dream 64. Golden State holds off Atlanta in close playoff battle. Gabby Williams led everyone with 26 points.
The story
Atlanta came out sharp, winning the 1st quarter 22-14 behind an 11-0 run that nearly put the game away early. Golden State answered in the 2nd, stringing together a 10-0 run to take a 42-39 halftime lead. The Dream regained control in the 3rd, outscoring the Valkyries 17-9 to lead 56-51 heading into the final quarter. But Golden State's depth proved decisive down the stretch, outscoring Atlanta 17-8 in the 4th to secure the 68-64 win. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 26 points. For Atlanta, Allisha Gray scored 19 and Angel Reese recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Valkyries trailed by as many as 9 but still won.
2Reese dominated the boards for Atlanta with 12 rebounds to go with 14 points, providing the interior presence that nearly carried the Dream to victory. Her 12 boards led all players on the Dream side and kept Atlanta competitive throughout.
The stat line
The stat line
| Golden State Valkyries | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabby Williams | 26 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kiah Stokes | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Cecilia Zandalasini | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kaila Charles | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Kaitlyn Chen | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Laeticia Amihere | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Veronica Burton | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Tiffany Hayes | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kayla Thornton | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Atlanta Dream | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allisha Gray | 19 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Angel Reese | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Rhyne Howard | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jordin Canada | 8 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Naz Hillmon | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Isobel Borlase | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DeWanna Bonner | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
