WNBA Finals: Gabby Williams lifts Valkyries past Dream in thrilling opener

San Francisco, California – Gabby Williams scored a game-high 26 points, including four key free throws in the final 1:18, as the Golden State Valkyries held off the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in game one of the WNBA Finals on Saturday.

Williams, runner-up to Atlanta’s Angel Reese in Defensive Player of the Year voting, has emerged as an offensive force for the Valkyries in the playoffs.

She carried the scoring load on a tough shooting night for the hosts – who didn’t have another player score in double figures.

She took some time to warm up, going scoreless in the first quarter as the Valkyries got off to a tentative start in front of a raucous crowd at Chase Center arena.

“Once we all started having fun and the excitement got out, we started to kind of find our way,” Williams, who erupted for 16 points in the second quarter, said in an on-court interview.

“There was a lid on that basket tonight, but that’s why we rely on our defense,” she said.

Golden State trailed by one with 1:18 remaining when Williams seized the rebound off a miss by Atlanta’s Allisha Gray and was fouled by Reese.

Williams made both free-throws to put the Valkyries up 65-64 and added another pair of free throws to seal the win with 4.1 seconds left.

Gray, the Dream’s leading scorer, returned after missing two games with a hand injury and scored 19 points, but she was scoreless in the fourth quarter, when Atlanta made just two of their 19 attempts from the floor.

Reese added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Rhyne Howard scored 12 for Atlanta.

The Valkyries will host game two of the best-of-seven series on Monday.

Both teams are chasing a first WNBA title. The Dream have come up empty in three prior trips to the Finals, most recently in 2013.

The Valkyries, who last year became the first WNBA expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season, are now contending for the title in their second.