GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES BEAT ATLANTA DREAM IN WNBA FINALS OPENER

Golden State Valkyries beat Atlanta Dream 68-64 at Chase Centre in San Francisco on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. Game 1 opened the best-of-seven series and marked Golden State’s first Finals appearance in the franchise’s second season. Golden State trailed for most of the game before taking the lead late on. Gabby Williams made free throws with four seconds remaining to secure the win. Kiah Stokes and Kaila Charles collected rebounds from missed Atlanta three-point attempts in the closing stages.

The game figures credited Williams with a game-high 26 points, including 16 in the second quarter and eight of Golden State’s final nine. Her second-quarter scoring helped Golden State take a 42-39 lead into half-time after trailing for much of the first half. Stokes contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Charles added seven points and 10 rebounds. Allisha Gray returned from a left-hand injury and led Atlanta with 19 points. Angel Reese scored 11 of her 14 points in the first quarter and did not score after half-time.

Golden State reached the Finals by sweeping defending champions Las Vegas Aces in three semi-final games. Atlanta also swept its semi-final series, beating 2024 champions New York Liberty. Pre-series figures put Williams’ average at 22.7 points across six play-off games, compared with 14.4 during the regular season. “We had the game right where we wanted it, because it just came down to getting stops,” Williams said. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday evening at Chase Centre.