Gabby Williams erupted for a game-high 26 points as the Golden State Valkyries overcame early jitters to edge past the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the Finals. Williams accounted for nearly 40% of the Golden State’s scoring output on the night and still felt that there is a long way to go in this series, as the crowd loudly cheered her name after the final whistle blew.

“It feels like we’re not done yet,” said Williams after the game, when asked by a reporter what the moment meant for her, as she stood visibly emotional on the court after the game.

Williams added a game-high three 3-pointers and two assists while shooting a near-perfect 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. She shot 8 of 22 from the field, and she made her presence felt on the defensive side as well, adding four rebounds and one steal to give the Valkyries a 1-0 lead in the series.

The game was fought along the expected lines. Both sides maintained a solid defensive structure. The Valkyries found themselves down by seven points at the start of the fourth quarter, and in a game of tight margins, it looked like Atlanta would take their road game. However, at Chase Center, the “Balhalla” roared behind their team, and, once again, it was Williams who led the charge for the comeback win.

Williams showed why she is one of the best two-way players in the world in the second quarter, going for 16 points, shooting 6 of 9 from the field and three of five from beyond the arc. The last 2:15 minutes of the game saw the Valkyries go on a 7-0 run, with Williams adding six of those points. Williams flipped the script from her first half, when the first 7:42 of the first quarter saw her miss four shots, including three from the perimeter, as the Valkyries got behind 22-14. After this outing, Head coach Natalie Nakase wasted no time in praising their leading catalyst of the game.

“Gabby is one of the best players in the world, hands down,” Nakase said. “She’s showing that when we need some buckets, she’s willing to get to her spots and take over. I think she’s showing it at the perfect time right now, and that’s what we need.”

Atlanta struggled to get on the board, especially in the last quarter, with Angel Reese failing to score any points in the second half of the game. Allisha Gray’s presence was a big boost for the Dream, and she picked things up where she left off, scoring a team-high 19 points while adding six rebounds and two assists.

Angel Reese added another 14 points and 12 rebounds as she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100+ points, 10+ steals, and 10+ blocks in the playoffs. However, both teams struggled with their efficiency in the game, with Atlanta recording an FG of just 33%, and the Valkyries finishing with a similar percentage, at 32%.

Williams may well be on her way to earning the respect she feels she deserves, a day after saying that the media has “never respected me.”

Her impact can be seen from the fact that no other player from Golden State could even finish in double digits in the game, with Kiah Stokes finishing as their second top scorer, adding a modest nine points and seven rebounds.

This was Atlanta’s first loss of this postseason, having swept the Mystics and the Liberty in the first round and semifinals, respectively. This was the Dream’s first loss since Aug. 28, ending their 10-game winning streak. Atlanta is still looking for their first win in what is their fourth WNBA Finals appearance. They will get their next chance on Monday at the Chase Center.

The Valkyries will look to build on this lead. On the other hand, Karl Smesko will look to address the gaps in Atlanta’s gameplay from this game and will look for a better outing from Reese and Co. in the next game.

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