ATLANTA – At the end of Game 3 on Wednesday night, Gabby Williams did something rare: She let it all out. 

As she stood in a huddle with her Golden State Valkyries teammates on court in a sold-out, deafeningly loud State Farm Arena after the final whistle of a 26-point thrashing at the hands of the Atlanta Dream to fall down 2-1 in the WNBA Finals, Williams found her way into the center. She yelled and pointed, stomped and pleaded with her teammates before they left the court. It was a jarring sight coming from the often soft-spoken, pensive veteran, and quickly went viral.

We may never know what Williams said in that huddle, but we do know that her words made an impact. The Valkyries returned to their defensive bona fides on Saturday afternoon to win Game 4 67-62 and even the series 2-2. Williams, who led the team with a game-high 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, felt a responsibility to step up on the court after her fiery speech.

"I think it got me going," Williams said after Game 4. "I didn't like my last game. I didn't like who I was in that last game. So, I think stepping up in that role made me step up. Also, if I want to lead my team, I have to be the one that sets the tone, and I have to lead by example as well. So I think that motivated me to set the tempo today, start off the game with a lot of aggressiveness."

Teammate Veronica Burton, who had 13 points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals and a clutch 3-pointer midway through the fourth that halted the Dream's momentum, told CBS Sports that Williams' words made an impact on the whole team.

"I think she did a great job of inspiring us," Burton said. "You know, we understand that it's do or die right now. There's nothing to save up for. And you've got to have that mentality coming in. You've got to have the dog mentality. And so when you see your leader like Gabby pour into us like that, get on us, hold us accountable, it just encourages the rest of us."

It wasn't the prettiest game from Williams -- she shot just 7 of 21 from the floor for 33.3% and missed all six of her 3-point attempts --  but Golden State basketball isn't about style; it's about substance. The Valkyries had 16 points off of 18 forced turnovers, generated a staggering 18 more shots than the Dream and held Atlanta to 33.3% from the field and 17.4% from outside. Williams set the tone for her team early -- in the second quarter in particular, she helped the Valkyries completely take over the game, going 4 of 6 for nine points, two rebounds and a steal.

"I thought her defense was on an elite, elite level," Valks coach Natalie Nakase said after the game. "I mean, she's one of the top defenders in the world for a reason, and you can see when she's locked in on her matchup and her game plan, she can get after and create more possessions."

Last season, the Valkyries became the first expansion team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season. But when they lost in the first round, they knew they had to get a star who could turn them into a true contender. They specifically targeted Williams, a UConn alum who was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2018 Draft by the Chicago Sky and spent the first seven years of her career between Chicago and Seattle. 

During the regular season, Williams averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals and was named an All-Star and honored as a member of the first-team All-Defense. This postseason, she has found another gear, with 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals. She's been so good that the Valkyries are now just two games away from winning a WNBA championship in their second season.

Williams came to the Valkyries because she wanted to be a part of a winning culture, and because they saw a star power in her that some overlooked. She has absolutely thrived in her first season in the Bay and is playing the best basketball of her career. But as the Dream ran away with Game 3 and Williams reflected on how poorly and passively her team had played the last two games, and how close the championship was to slipping away, she realized that something had to change, and it needed to start with her.  

"I think I've been a little bit too loose as a leader, and that's kind of where, especially Coach Nat has been pushing me," Williams said on Friday, between Games 3 and 4. "I think I've been a little bit too much of, 'It's all right. We'll figure it out. We're good. We're good. We're good.' So I just wanted to show my team something different because we need something different. I mean, these are two games that just haven't been us.

"So I had to get out of my comfort zone and try to, you know, re-motivate the troops, I guess. So that's what that speech was about, you know. And then we were able to go back in the locker room and talk more about it. But yeah, it's never easy to do. But I definitely just wanted to show my teammates a different kind of fire."

Nakase credited Williams for transforming into a leader throughout the season.

"She's a humble star," the Golden State coach said. "She's not someone who's just going to come in and just say, 'Hey, like I'm the leader.' She took her time. She let her players trust her, and she built that through the time that she spent having people over at her house, cooking, taking care of them. So I love the fact that Gabby just did it her way."

The Valkyries will now host Game 5 of the series back in Ballhalla, the arena, fanbase and culture that Williams credits for allowing her to develop into her truest, most authentic self. The Dream won Game 2 in San Francisco, so Williams' leadership will be put to the test again as she tries to keep her team together and focused as they try to regain the lead in the series. She's ready for the challenge.

"Before the game," Williams said, "I just talked to the team about just not having regrets, and that the beauty of our sport is [that] as bad as we felt on Wednesday, we get to turn around and make it right up today."