JORGE QUIROGA / KEVIN CARTER
Updated
Unbeatable debut for Gabby Williams and the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals. With a superb performance, the fourth best by a rookie in the Finals, Williams led her team in the first game for the title against the Atlanta Dream, 68-64 in a packed Chase Center with 18,064 spectators.
Those of San Francisco only went ahead in the game in the final 100 seconds, choosing their moment perfectly. A 7-0 run in the final 2:15 gave the home team the win in their first game in the NBAFinals. It should be remembered that the Valkyries are a team with only two years of existence.
Angel Reese turned all heads and raised temperatures with her sexiest WNBA playoff looks
Born in Reno but with a French passport (in fact she plays for France), Gabby Williams was the star of the game. She scored 26 points, the fourth-best total for a rookie in the Finals, but six of those points came during the 7-0 run with which Golden State sealed the game.
In those final two minutes, the AtlantaDream missed all their shots, including five three-pointers, while Williams made all six free throws she attempted, putting her team ahead on the scoreboard to win.
'It's very nice, but I feel like we still haven't finished the job,' said Williams when asked how she felt hearing the entire arena chant her name. 'Even when we were behind, I thought we had the game where I wanted it,' said the player of the game against the Dream.'
Williams was the only Valkyries player to score in double figures. She was followed by KiahStokes with 9 points and 7 rebounds. For Atlanta, Alisha Gray scored 19, Angel Reese 14, and Rhyne Howard 12. The second game will also be played at the Chase Center in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday at 2:00.
