Golden State Valkyries Game 1 Win Puts Aces on Notice
AP reports Gabby Williams had 25 points and 11 rebounds in a 71-60 semifinal victory.
Basketball Daily
The Golden State Valkyries beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 71-60 at Chase Center on October 4, taking a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five WNBA semifinal. Gabby Williams finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The result immediately changed the terms of a matchup Las Vegas had controlled during the regular season. Golden State now has an opportunity to move within one victory of the Finals before the series leaves San Francisco.
Rebounding gives Golden State a winning margin
The decisive separation came on the glass. The Aces’ official recap reported a 52-25 rebounding advantage for Golden State, including 17 offensive rebounds that produced 20 second-chance points.
That combination explains why an uneven shooting performance was enough. The Valkyries made 37.7% of their shots, while Las Vegas finished at 33.9%; Golden State could afford misses because it repeatedly recovered possession instead of surrendering the ball.
Kiah Stokes collected 14 rebounds and blocked three shots, while Kayla Thornton added 11 rebounds. Their work gave Williams support that did not depend on another teammate matching her scoring output.
“We lost the game on the boards, no question about that,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said in the postgame report. For Las Vegas, better shooting alone is therefore an incomplete response: defensive possessions must end with control of the rebound.
The bench changes the scoring balance
Golden State also found a substantial advantage beyond its starters. The Valkyries’ official game report recorded a 27-7 edge in bench points, with Kaitlyn Chen scoring 11 as the team’s only other double-figure scorer.
Aminata Gueye supplied nine points on 4-for-5 shooting, with seven coming in the third quarter. She also registered two steals and a block, contributing on both ends during a brief appearance that broadened Golden State’s options.
Gueye had played only 10 minutes across the first round and four during the regular season, the team noted. Her increased contribution matters because a short playoff rotation can become vulnerable when its usual scoring sources struggle; Sunday’s win showed that Golden State had another usable option.
A different test from the regular season
The team’s series preview established the challenge: Las Vegas swept all three regular-season meetings, despite finishing one game behind second-seeded Golden State. The Valkyries also entered the playoffs with the league’s best regular-season defensive rating, giving this victory a foundation beyond one afternoon’s shooting variance.
Both teams needed three games to escape the first round. Golden State advanced past Dallas with a 16-point comeback, while the Aces eliminated Indiana; neither arrived with the luxury of a short opening series.
Jewell Loyd left early in the third quarter with a left leg injury and did not return, according to the Aces’ update carried by OurSports Central. Her availability for the next game remains unconfirmed in the reports reviewed.
Game 2 is scheduled for October 7 at Chase Center, with tipoff at 6:30 p.m. Pacific, before Game 3 in Las Vegas on October 9. The next test is whether the Aces can close the rebounding gap and reduce Golden State’s bench advantage: doing both would force the Valkyries to find a different route to another win.