Valkyries vs. Aces: Gabby Williams Posts 25 and 11 as Golden State Owns the Glass in Semifinals Game 1

The final was 71-60, but the number that told the whole story was 52-25. That was the rebounding margin, and it was the reason the Golden State Valkyries beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Sunday afternoon at Chase Center despite shooting 38 percent and turning the ball over 14 times.

Gabby Williams led the way with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, Kiah Stokes grabbed 14 rebounds without scoring a point, and Golden State took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series. The second-year Valkyries are now two wins from the WNBA Finals, and they got there by making the champs play in a phone booth.

Ugly, and Proudly So

Each team needed all three games to escape the first round, and it showed. This was not a game for the shooting purists. Golden State made 11 of 35 shots in the first half, and Las Vegas finished 21 of 62 for the game. Possessions were a fight, and the Valkyries kept winning the fight after the miss.

Golden State led 22-18 after one quarter thanks to a 10-0 run that started late in the first and carried into the second, turning an 18-17 deficit into a 27-18 lead. Williams, playing to chants of "Gabby! Gabby!" from the crowd, scored 18 of her points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting, and her 3 with 5:43 left before the break made it 32-23. Las Vegas responded with eight straight points, and the Valkyries took a 34-31 lead into halftime.

Chen Takes the Wheel

The third quarter brought two big changes. Early in the period, Las Vegas saw Jewell Loyd exit with a left leg injury, and Golden State coach Natalie Nakase made a lineup call that stuck. Point guard Veronica Burton, who struggled on offense, sat down at the 7:29 mark and did not return. Kaitlyn Chen played the rest of the game and finished with 11 points.

"Kaitlyn Chen was fresh and I'm playing a fresh Kaitlyn Chen," Nakase said.

Golden State won the third 22-17 for a 56-48 lead. Las Vegas crept to 58-53 on a Jackie Young 3 at the 8:25 mark, and A'ja Wilson's free throws made it 65-58 at 4:44. Then Golden State put it away. Kayla Thornton scored on a running layup off a Williams feed, Williams drove for another, and Chen's driving layup at 2:00 made it 71-58, the Valkyries' largest lead.

Gabby Williams Runs the Show

Williams did a little of everything: 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 4 of 7 from 3 and 3 of 3 at the line, plus 11 rebounds and five assists without committing a single foul. She was also quick to hand out credit.

"I said after the game that KT and Kiah really won this game for us, limited them to one possession and gave us extra possessions," Williams said.

She was not being modest for show. Stokes finished with 14 rebounds, seven of them offensive, and four blocks. Thornton added eight points and 11 rebounds, five on the offensive glass. Aminata Gueye, who signed with the team Sept. 20 after playing with Williams and Janelle Salaun for France at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes off the bench. Salaun, who picked up the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award before tipoff, drew a loud ovation when she checked in.

Las Vegas Never Found Its Rhythm

Wilson, the league's leading scorer and reigning MVP per the AP, scored 24 points, but it took 21 shots, and she finished with just four rebounds. She was sharp early, making 6 of 11 shots for 15 points in the first half, then cooled off after the break. Chelsea Gray added 16 with three 3s, while Young had 11 on 4-of-15 shooting. Loyd went scoreless in 17 minutes before the injury, and forward Stephanie Talbot missed the game with a left leg injury. Per the AP, the Aces were held to their lowest point total of the season.

The wild part: Las Vegas committed only six turnovers, eight fewer than Golden State, and still lost by 11. That is how lopsided the glass was.

"We lost the game on the boards, no question about that," Aces coach Becky Hammon said, noting that rebounding and blocking out had been the main topic for her team over the previous two days. She also called it one of her team's "most atrocious games of the season."

Six Points That Ended the Suspense

After Wilson's free throws made it 65-58 with 4:44 left, the Aces had a real chance to steal home court. Golden State answered with the next six points, all on drives and layups, and Las Vegas never got closer than seven again. In a contest this low scoring, that burst was the knockout.

Glass Half Full

• 52-25: Golden State's rebounding advantage.
• 17-2: Offensive rebounds, Valkyries over Aces.
• 34-18: Golden State's edge in points in the paint.
• 34 percent: Las Vegas' shooting from the field.
• 14: Golden State turnovers, which led to 11 Las Vegas points. The boards made them survivable.

Finally, a Win Over Vegas

Golden State leads the series 1-0, and it finally has a win over Las Vegas this season. The Aces had won all three regular-season meetings, 91-81 at Chase Center on May 31, 84-79 in Las Vegas on June 6 and 92-73 in Las Vegas on June 21. The Valkyries are now 3-0 at home in these playoffs and have won five straight home games overall.

Game 2 is Wednesday night, back at Chase Center. Stokes already knows the champs will not play like this twice.

"Going forward we know that we need to come out on Wednesday and make sure we set the tone again," Stokes said.

The Bass Player Takes a Solo

Rebounding is the bass player of basketball stats. Nobody buys a ticket to watch it, and nothing works without it. On Sunday, Stokes and Thornton stepped to the front of the stage and played lead, and the reigning champs walked off with their lowest point total of the season.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details and quotes as reported by the Associated Press via WNBA.com.