The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday at State Farm Arena, tying the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at two games apiece.
Gabby Williams scored 17 points as Golden State recovered from two consecutive losses, protected a big halftime advantage and brought the series back to San Francisco.
The Valkyries committed nine turnovers to Atlanta’s 18 and scored twice as many points off those mistakes, 16-8, according to the team’s official recap.
That reversal gave Golden State a way to win without consistently making outside shots. The Valkyries finished 4-for-25 from three-point range but kept creating other opportunities.
Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton added 13 points apiece, while Kiah Stokes collected 16 rebounds, Field Level Media reported. Cecilia Zandalasini contributed another 10 points.
Hayes scored all 13 of her points after halftime, providing timely offense as Atlanta began cutting into a deficit that reached 16 points before the break.
Coach Natalie Nakase changed her starting lineup, promoting Hayes and Kaila Charles while moving Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton to the bench, Golden State of Mind reported.
Golden State initially trailed 7-2 before a 12-0 run changed the first quarter. Its defense then helped produce a 42-26 advantage at the half.
Atlanta responded after the break and pulled within six midway through the third quarter. Golden State answered, preventing the Dream from turning that surge into a lead.
Burton later made a crucial jumper with 35 seconds remaining. Atlanta continued pressing, but the Valkyries defended the final possessions and held on for the win.
The result reversed the momentum of Angel Reese’s Game 3 statement for Atlanta. Reese managed eight points Saturday after dominating the previous two games.
Reese shot 2-for-12 and committed six turnovers, while Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 19 points. The Dream’s comeback could not fully repair their difficult first half.
The series now returns to Chase Center for Game 5 on Monday, October 26, at 8 p.m. ET. USA Network and Peacock will carry the game.
For Golden State, Saturday demonstrated that better ball security and defensive pressure can offset a poor shooting afternoon. Maintaining that balance is the challenge moving forward.
Atlanta still showed it could disrupt the Valkyries after halftime. With the Finals level again, both teams have clear adjustments to make before Monday’s pivotal meeting.
