ATLANTA - The Golden State Valkyries captured a road win, beating the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday afternoon to even the WNBA Finals 2-2 heading back to the Bay Area for Game 5 on Monday with a potential clincher for either team in a Game 6 in Atlanta. It's still to be determined what arena the Dream will play host in for Game 6.
The two off days between Games 3 and 4 gave Golden State plenty of time to draw up the right adjustments to punch back. The Valkyries flipped the turnover game against Atlanta and created a possession advantage that translated into a 16-point first-half lead punctuated by a 9-0 run led by Cecilia Zandalasini, Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton.
Golden State won the turnover battle 16-4 in the first half and the Valkyrie scored 16 points off turnovers and their offense smoothed out for one of their best shooting games of the Finals. They won the possession game early, taking 21 more shots from the field than Atlanta at the break.
The Valkyries made a handful of adjustments for Game 4, including switching up the starting lineup to replace Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton with Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes. The switch didn't have an immediate impact with a low-scoring first quarter, but the energy shift bode well for Golden State throughout.
They also sent more bodies at Angel Reese, making her day more difficult than the last two games she took over on both ends. Reese finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
Reese didn't score a point in the first quarter and had five turnovers, four points total, three rebounds and three personal fouls at the half.
But the Dream found a pathway to claw their way back at the foul line. Midway through the third quarter, the Dream got to the line 24 times, but only made 16 of their free throws. The Valkyries, meanwhile, were 7-of-8 from the line.
Atlanta got the crowd into it when rookie Isobel Borlase drained a 3 with 4:26 left in the quarter, cutting the Valkyries lead to six.
The Dream stayed in striking distance throughout the fourth quarter, but the Valkyries didn't let their foot off the gas. Burton, more aggressive this game, hit a 3-pointer with 4:23 left in the game and a floater with just over 30 seconds left to extend Golden State's lead just enough to breathe.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Valkyries even Finals with Game 4 win in Atlanta, stymie Dream and Angel Reese.