Gabby Williams scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter as Golden State erased a 16-point deficit to beat Dallas 77-73 in Game 3.
Gabby Williams scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter Friday night as the Golden State Valkyries came back from 16 points down. Their 77-73 win over the Dallas Wings in Game 3 at Chase Center closed out the first-round series and sent Golden State to the WNBA semifinals.
Golden State had never won a playoff series before Friday. The Valkyries are in their second season.
Chase Center drew a sellout crowd of 18,064. It was the Valkyries' 47th straight sellout, a streak that dates to last season.
According to ESPN, the comeback was the fifth-largest in a winner-take-all game in WNBA playoff history. No team had erased a deficit that large in a deciding game since the Las Vegas Aces came back from 16 down against the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the 2020 semifinals.
Williams scored 17 points after halftime, shooting 6-of-17 overall, 3-of-6 from three, and 4-of-4 at the line. She added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Two nights earlier, she scored a career-high 36 points in Game 2, a 108-100 overtime loss in Dallas in which Arike Ogunbowale set a WNBA playoff scoring record with 45 points.
Valkyries Put the Ball in Williams' Hands
Tiffany Hayes, who scored 18 points off the bench, said in postgame comments reported by ESPN that Golden State will keep putting the ball in Williams' hands.
"Big shot Gabby," Hayes said. "She's our dog, she's our leader, and she's the one we go to, and she showed you exactly why. We'll do it again and again and over and over. ... That's Gabby f---ing Williams."
Being trusted with the ball in big moments is why Williams came to Golden State in the offseason.
"I wanted someone to believe in me in the league," Williams said. "I never quite got that belief in the W from a staff or teammates. ... The fact they trust me to have the ball in my hands, it's not even about making the right shot, just making the right decisions. I'm able to do that because we have four people that can go off on the floor."
The Wings led 19-14 after one quarter and 44-37 at halftime. Dallas then scored 20 unanswered points across the end of the second and start of the third, extending its lead to 53-37 midway through the third.
Williams said the turning point was Veronica Burton's 26-foot three over Paige Bueckers, ending Golden State's scoring drought.
"Just staying together," Williams explained. "We were just saying, 'Not to lose confidence, just take it possession by possession.' I think V hit a really big three, and once we all saw that go in, we could all kind of be like, 'Okay, we saw one go in, now it's our time to get going.' And after that, it was just about getting stops."
Over the final 4:54 of the third quarter, the Valkyries outscored Dallas 14-4 and cut the deficit to 59-54. Golden State outscored the Wings 23-14 in the fourth.
Williams outscored Dallas 8-1 by herself over the final two minutes, according to ESPN.
Natalie Nakase Leaves Scare Behind Late in Game 3
With 1:40 left, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase collapsed to her hands and knees while speaking to an official during a Wings timeout. The Valkyries told ESPN's Kendra Andrews that Nakase was exhausted and lightheaded and was feeling fine after the game. She coached the rest of the way and left the floor with a member of her staff after the final horn.
Valkyries assistant coach Kasib Powell said Nakase was talking and laughing after the game.
"I just want to start with saying Natalie is fine," Powell said. "Obviously it's a quick turnaround, we play again on Sunday. She wouldn't miss it for anything. ... She's talking, she's laughing in the back, so we look forward to preparing and getting ready for Sunday."
In 36:39, Burton recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds, including five offensive, six assists, and two turnovers.
Burton recorded her first postseason double-double, also the first in Valkyries postseason history, ESPN reported.
Kiah Stokes had a game-high 13 rebounds, including four offensive, plus six points, three assists, and three blocks. Off the bench, Kaila Charles scored 10 on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three, with six rebounds and two steals.
Golden State's bench outscored Dallas' 31-8. Hayes shot 2-of-5 from three, with four rebounds and two assists.
The Valkyries shot 27-of-77 (35.1%) and outrebounded Dallas 50-40, scoring 20 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds. Dallas had 10 second-chance points.
Golden State had 17 assists and six turnovers. Dallas committed 11 turnovers.
Ogunbowale led the Wings with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting. Bueckers scored 17 points and had six assists, going 3-of-14 from the field and 10-of-10 at the line. Jessica Shepard had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Dallas shot 26-of-59, 44.1%.
Golden State Advances to Face Las Vegas
Powell said Wings coach Jose Fernandez kept the Valkyries adjusting from game to game.
"Credit to them. They're a great team," Powell said. "I know they're the seventh seed, but the players they have over there, they had a will that they didn't want to go home. We saw that when we went to Dallas, Arike going for 45. She had another big night tonight, but they just played with the desperation of not wanting to go home. So you got to credit them."
"You also got to credit their coaching staff," Powell continued. "Jose did a great job of just making adjustments and keeping us on our toes and making us have to figure out what's next, what kind of adjustments he's making. Overall, just a credit to them, seriously."
No. 7 seed Dallas finished 27-17. Golden State won Game 1, 104-80, at Chase Center on Sept. 27.
The No. 2-seeded Valkyries, 32-12 in the regular season, host the No. 3-seeded Aces in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinals Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Las Vegas, the defending champion, went 31-13 and beat the Indiana Fever in three games in the first round, with A'ja Wilson scoring 36 points in Game 3.
Game 2 is Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET at Chase Center on Peacock and NBCSN.
