The Golden State Valkyries had spent two games struggling to find answers against the Atlanta Dream, and the problem went beyond just missing shots. Turnovers, physical play, and defensive pressure in the WNBA Finals had left them searching for a response. But in Game 4, the team quickly flipped the script, and Gabby Williams had a clear message about what it would take to stand up to Atlanta’s physical approach.

“Yeah, as far as taking care of the ball, I think we stopped letting the officiating dictate the game,” Williams said in the postgame conference. “I think last game we were very soft. We were expecting a foul call; we were expecting this, but this is the finals. It’s going to be physical; it’s going to be tough, so we have to woman up, and I think we just decided to play through that contact versus wanting it to be easy.”

The Valkyries secured a 67-62 win in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2, a big change of pace after consecutive losses to Atlanta in Games 2 and 3. In just the last game, the Valkyries gave the ball away 17 times, resulting in 22 points for Atlanta. In Game 4, Golden State logged just nine turnovers while forcing the Dream into 18 giveaways, allowing them to capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes.

Williams led the charge for her team on offense, finishing the game with 17 points, three assists, and three steals. According to ESPN, this is the second-highest-scoring game of her career without making three. She finished 0-for-6 from long range.

That turnaround was largely due to a shared moment between Williams and her team. After the loss in Game 3, Williams called a huddle on the court and gave her team a fiery speech. That didn’t just motivate her teammates, but Williams herself too.

“I didn’t like my last game, so stepping up in that [leadership] role made me step up individually,” Williams said. “If I want to lead this team, I have to be the one that sets the tone. I have to lead by example, as well. That motivated me to set the tempo today and start off the game with a lot of aggressiveness.”

That aggressiveness showed up particularly strongly on the defensive end, with the Dream’s stars completely contained. Allisha Gray, who led the Dream in scoring during the regular season, played just 22 minutes due to foul trouble and went just 1-for-7 from the field.

Angel Reese had perhaps the worst game of her playoff career. She finished with eight points and nine rebounds but made just two of her 12 shots, her lowest field-goal percentage in any game of this playoff run. She was also held to single digits in both points and rebounds while playing over 30 minutes for the first time in a playoff game.

An interesting adjustment the Valkyries made in this game was changing up their starting wing group. Instead of going with Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini, head coach Natalie Nakase went with bench players Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes, who started a combined 15 games in the regular season. For reference, Thornton started all 44 games, while Zandalasini started 34 of the 37 games she played.

The game itself was largely won in the first half. The Valkyries attempted more than double the number of shots Dream did (40 vs. 19), and led 42-26.

Now, as the series heads to Chase Center tied 2-2, Golden State has a chance to carry the momentum into Game 5. Williams’ message is straightforward: the Finals will stay physical, and Golden State will have to keep playing through that pressure to bring home the first championship in team history.

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