ATLANTA — Discipline and defense were two of the major talking points for Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase entering Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday afternoon.
Golden State excelled in both areas and the second-seeded Valkyries earned a pivotal 67-62 victory over the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream to pull even at two games apiece in the best-of-seven series.
Nakase’s team, led by Gabby Williams’ 17 points, forced 18 Atlanta turnovers and held the Dream to 33.3% shooting from the field. The Valkyries turned over the ball just nine times.
Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton each scored 13 points for Golden State, which won despite making just four of its 25 3-point attempts. Cecilia Zandalasini had 10 points and Kiah Stokes pulled down 16 rebounds for the Valkyries, who return to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday.
Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 19 points while Jordin Canada and Isobel Borlase chipped in 10 apiece. Angel Reese (eight points) and Allisha Gray (five points) shot a combined 3-for-19 from the field. — Reuters