By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternnon the Golden State Valkyries took on the Atlanta Dream in game four, a huge game for the team. Trailing the Dream 2-1 in the series they were looking to tie up the series and take a 2-2 series back to Chase Center for a Game five.

The Valkyries took a 16-11 lead after the first ten minutes of play. They continued to extend that lead and when the first half came to an end, they had a 42-26 lead.

As the third quarter came to an end, the Dream had outscored the Valkyries 19-12 but continued to trail 54-45. It wouild all come down to the fouth quarter.

Golden State was outscored in the fourth quarter 17-13 but the lead they had built was enough for a win in game four 67-62. Game Five of the series will now head back to Chase Center with the series all knotted up 2-2.

GAME RECAP

The Golden State Valkyries came into this game on a mission. They did not want to fall even further behind in the series in fact taking a series tie back to Chase for game five would be the perfect scenario. When the first quarter had come to an end, Golden State had taken a 16-11 lead playing with a lot of confidence. They had so far cleaned up the turnovers and they were having improved offensive success. They had a great start in game four.

The Valkyries continued on the same path in the second quarter taking as much as a 16 point lead. When the quarter came to an end, Golden State had outscored the Dream by double digits 26-15 and took a 42-26 lead into the locker room at the half. The Dream would have a lot of work to do in the second half of this game.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase had decided on a simple plan in game four. The one thing that really stood out was the excellent ball protection for Golden State with only 4 turnovers in the first half. They had forced the Dream to turn the ball over 14 times conceding 16 points on those turnovers. The Valkyries starting roster was changed up and at the half Gabby Williams already had 11 points and bench player Cecilia Zandalasini with 10. They had held Angel Reese to only four points, Naz Hillman to two and Rhyne Howard to only 5 points. They had really locked down the Dream offense. The Valkyries would need to hang onto the sense of urgency in the second half that they had started the game with.

Golden State started the third quarter with two consecutive fouls and the energy had shifted as the Dream went on a bit of a run attempting to trim the Golden State double digit lead. At the five minute mark left in the third the Dream had cut the Golden State lead to single digits. The crowd went wild when the Dream cut the Valkyries lead to six points 46-40. Both teams were protecting the ball well with only one turnover each in the third but the Dream were dictating play in the quarter. The Valkyries tightened up their defense and pushed their lead back out to double digits 50-40 with three minutes left in the quarter. At the finish of the third quarter the Valkyries had a 54-45 lead.

The Dream pulled even closer in the fourth quarter getting to within seven points 57-51with just under six minutes left on the clock. The see-saw battle got underway, the crowd noise deafening. A Valerie Burton triple hushed the crowd to a mild roar giving Golden State a 64-55 lead with four minutes left in this clash. The Dream attempted a couple of three-point shots that missed and that was the game. Valerie Buirton finished off game four hitting a basket driving their lead up to 66-61. The final was 66-62. Golden State had a lot more fight, a lot more grit and it paid off in Game 4 of this championship series.

GAME NOTES

Today we saw a far improved Golden State team. They improved so much after their loss to the Dream last Wednesday night. They had a great response after losing Game 3 by 26 points. One of the biggest differences was the bounce-back in the first half and then they held on when Atlanta tried to rally in the second half.

Gabby Williams had the team high with 17 points. Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes each finished with 13 points. The Dream’s Rhyne Howard had the game high with 19 points. The Valkyries really put the stops on Angel Reese. She finished the game with 8 points and 9 rebounds. This was her first game in the finals without a double double. Golden State put out a great defensive effort.

The Valkyries led after the first quarter 16-11 and then outscored Atlanta 26-15 in the second giving Golden State a 42-26 halftime lead. Another highlight was their defense that kept the Dream from catching up. They allowed 97 points in game three but today held them to 62 points, a vast difference.

It got tense in the fourth quarter for Golden State but the team remained composed under the pressure. Atlanta won both the third and fourth quarters but the Valkyries had built a lead that was just enough to survive the comeback attempt and win by 5 slim points.

Golden State did not need to win every quarter, they just needed to defend their lead, make enough plays and of course avoid letting the Dream completely erase that first-half advantage. The team seemed to be more connected in today’s game. Now the Valkyries come home to Chase Center in a 2-2 tied series regaining home-court momentum. That game will be played Monday October 26th with tipoff scheduled for 5:00PM.