Golden State Valkyries Kaitlyn Chen makes a pass in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream in Chase Center on Saturday, October 17th, in San Francisco, CA. (Photo credit to GETTY Images)
By Michael Villanueva
SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Valkyries’ first-ever appearance in the WNBA Finals ends with a win over the Atlanta Dream, 68-64. After sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, the Valkyries will host the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. The finals require a team to win four games in this series, with Golden State taking the first game. The Valkyries are three more wins away from being the WNBA Champions.
Atlanta makes their way to San Francisco after sweeping the New York Liberty in game 3. So for the first time since 2013, the Atlanta Dream are in the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese led the team with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Also, with no Allisha Gray, DeWanna Bonner stepped up big for them with a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds.
With tip-off being in the afternoon, the Valkyries and the Dream were ready to get the WNBA Finals going. Returning from her injury with Atlanta, Allisha Gray would get the first basket of the day on a driving layup. The first quarter would be a slow quarter for the two teams. However, with this series being the championship series, both teams are trying to analyze one another and find gaps in the defense to score. Atlanta would have the lead over Golden State at the end of the 1st quarter, 22-14.
In the second quarter, it was all Golden State. The Valkyries exploded for a 28-point quarter to end the first half. That 28-point performance had a lot to do with Gabby Williams for Golden State. Three minutes into the second quarter, Williams had dropped 10 points by herself in that timeframe. Then right after that, Cecilia Zandalasini would go on and drop 5 points, by herself, and bring the score to 32-30, halfway through the second quarter. Right at the two-minute mark, Golden State would take the lead off of a made 3-pointer from Gabby Williams, 40-37.
At halftime, Golden State would hold the lead at 42-39 over Atlanta. Valkyries Gabby Williams would have 16 points altogether by the end of the first half. Williams has now become only the sixth player in WNBA Finals history to record 15+ points in a quarter. Angel Reese for Atlanta so far in this game has 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Starting the third quarter, Atlanta came out with new energy and a sharper focus. The score would see multiple ties and lead changes all the way to the final minute of the third quarter. Three minutes in the quarter, Rhyne Howard would do a spin, fadeaway shot and make it while falling to the ground. Her efforts gave Dream the lead back, 46-44. The biggest lead for Atlanta this quarter was 6 points, 50-44, with four and a half minutes left. The Valkyries saw some struggles in this quarter, scoring just 9 points altogether.
Going into the final quarter of Game 1 in the WNBA Finals, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard would get fouled, shoot, and make both of her free throws, extending the lead to 7 points, 58-51. Then Tiffany Hayes from Golden State would make a crucial 3-pointer from 26 feet to cut the lead to 58-55. Her shot got the Valkyries’ offense going and ultimately took over the game. The Valkyries would put up 17 points over Atlanta’s 8 points in the final quarter.
With two minutes and thirty-eight seconds left, Atlanta had the lead 64-61. However, Gabby Williams for Golden State would score the final six of the seven points of the game. She would finish the game with 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists to help Golden State take Game 1 and a 1-0 series lead. She also ties for the 4th most points by a player in the Finals debut in WNBA History.
The Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream are gonna have a one-day rest, as they get ready for Game 2 on Monday evening. The game will start at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC.
