Golden State 71, Las Vegas 60 · Chase Center · Valkyries lead series 1-0
The Aces spent two days talking about rebounding. Golden State spent Sunday afternoon doing it. The Valkyries dominated the glass 52-25, held Las Vegas to 33.9 percent shooting and a season-low 60 points, and won a semifinal game for the first time in franchise history.
Gabby's afternoon
Gabby Williams carried over her first-round form against Dallas with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, scoring 18 of them in the first half to chants of her name from a sold-out "Ballhalla." Her three made it 32-23 late in the second quarter, and Golden State's lead peaked at 11.
The Valkyries didn't shoot it well either — 37.7 percent overall, 7 of 24 from three — but 17 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points covered every cold stretch. Kiah Stokes, guarding A'ja Wilson most of the day, grabbed 14 boards and blocked several shots, and Kayla Thornton added 11 rebounds.
Depth wins
Golden State's bench scored 27 points. Kaitlyn Chen played the rest of the game after Veronica Burton sat midway through the third and finished with 11, and newcomer Aminata Gueye — signed Sept. 20 after playing alongside Williams and Janelle Salaun for France at the World Cup — added nine in 12 minutes. Salaun was named the league's Sixth Player of the Year before tip.
Injury watch
Las Vegas lost guard Jewell Loyd to a left leg injury early in the third quarter, and forward Stephanie Talbot missed the game with a left leg injury of her own. Jackie Young's three cut it to 58-53 with 8:25 left, but the Aces never got closer than five.
By the numbers
- Gabby Williams — 25 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast
- Kiah Stokes — 14 reb · Kayla Thornton — 8 pts, 11 reb
- Kaitlyn Chen — 11 pts · Aminata Gueye — 9 pts
- A'ja Wilson — 24 pts (8-of-21) · Chelsea Gray — 16 pts
- Rebounds: 52-25 · Second-chance points: 20-3
Up next: Game 2 Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Chase Center.
Published on womenssec.com. Statistics referenced are as of the publication date.