Valkyries Beat Dream 68-63 in First Finals Game 7 to Win First Title as Williams Scores 30
The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday night, winning the first Game 7 in Finals history and the first championship in franchise history in just the club's second season.
Atlanta led 30-24 at halftime behind 13 first-half points from Jordin Canada. The third quarter turned the game: Golden State outscored Atlanta 21-14 as Gabby Williams caught fire from beyond the arc, and the Valkyries took a 45-44 lead into the fourth.
Williams scored only two points in the first half and 28 after it, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, plus four blocks. Tiffany Hayes, who briefly left the game in the third quarter after a collision, added 11 points. Veronica Burton had 10 points and 11 rebounds, Kiah Stokes grabbed 13 rebounds, and Golden State recorded eight blocks as a team.
Canada led Atlanta with a Finals career-high 18 points, Allisha Gray scored 16, and Angel Reese had eight points and 12 rebounds. Burton's two free throws with five seconds left sealed the 68-63 final before a sellout crowd.
It was the first Game 7 since the Finals moved to a best-of-seven format in 2025, with both franchises chasing a first title: Atlanta, founded in 2008, fell short in its fourth Finals appearance, while Golden State, coached by Natalie Nakase, completed a rise that began with a playoff berth in its 2025 expansion season.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：旧金山 Chase Center 外观，女武神主场、本场抢七大战的举办地（资料图）。Sarah Stierch 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Exterior of Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Valkyries and site of Game 7 (file photo). Photo by Sarah Stierch, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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