Voltar
Gabby Williams had just two points at halftime in the Golden State Valkyries’ Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream. The Valkyries trailed the Dream by 6 and, once again, struggled offensively.
But Williams went off in the third quarter, pouring in three consecutive triples and 15 points in the period. She finished the night with 30 points, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists. She set a new record for most points in a Finals half (28), surpassing Angel McCoughtry’s previous record of 27 points
“Man, I don’t know,” Williams said in her walkoff interview. “I love moments like this. Nat told me to be patient in the first half — it was hard, but I listened, and she was right as always.”
The Valkyries trailed by as many as 9 points in the third quarter when Williams caught fire, scoring 11 points in a two-minute span to give the Valkyries a 1-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Williams, whom Valkyries owner Joe Lacob proclaimed was the best player in the world in the first round of the playoffs, looked like it when it mattered most.
During the season, Williams averaged 14.4 points and 2.2 assists per game. But in the postseason, she elevated her game, averaging 20.3 points and 3.4 assists per game entering the decisive Game 7. Williams recorded 26 points in Games 1 and 6 of the Finals, but she saved her best performance for last.
Tiffany Hayes scored 11 points, and Veronica Burton added 10 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block. Kiah Stokes racked up 8 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
“All it took was good people,” Williams said. “That’s it. All we heard last year was, we don’t have no stars, we don’t have no talent — yeah, right. We got good people, we got winners, we got people who are willing to put their body on the floor to win a game. They don’t care about scoring — they just want to play defense, and rebound, and do what it takes. And we just built a beautiful culture here. ”