San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – Gabby Williams scored 30 points and the Golden State Valkyries captured their first Women’s NBA title on Saturday, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a winner-take-all championship showdown. Williams scored a WNBA Finals one-half record 28 points in the second half as the second-year expansion Valkyries won the series four games to three, the longest title matchup in league history.
“I wasn’t going to lose on Halloween,” Williams said. “It’s easy when the energy is this good and positive. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
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Despite only two points in the first half, Williams seized command in the second with the game on the line and lifted Golden State ahead to stay in the dying minutes to earn the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. “I just, I don’t know. I love moments like this,” Williams said. “Nat (coach Natalie Nakase) told me to be patient in the first half. It was hard but I listened to her and she was right as always.”
“All it took was good people. We have winners. We have people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game. They don’t care about scoring. They just want to do defense and rebounding. Do whatever it takes and we built a beautiful culture here.”
The victory came before a sellout crowd of more than 18,000 at the Chase Center that cheered the home side to a crown as the Dream lost the finals for the fourth time in the team’s 18-year history. “We have an incredible team. What you did was unbelievable,” team owner Joe Lacob said.
Williams sank a three-pointer with 2:19 remaining to give Golden State a 60-57 lead, and after Atlanta’s Allisha Gray missed a layup, she added two free throws for a five-point edge. Kiah Stokes put back a Williams miss for a 64-57 lead, and free throws by Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton down the stretch sealed the victory.
“This is for all the people that have been underrated, misunderstood,” Nakase said. “This is proof that if you put in all your heart and all your soul you can …win championships.”
Golden State seized an 8-0 lead as the Dream missed their first nine shots. Atlanta answered with a 21-6 run to seize the lead, starting the second quarter with a 9-0 streak on the way to a 30-24 halftime lead. The Valkyries, however, closed the third quarter with a 17-7 run to seize a 45-44 edge entering the fourth quarter, with Williams scoring 15 points in the third period.
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