Gabby Williams had only two points by halftime of the Golden State Valkyries’ Game 7 matchup with the Atlanta Dream. Golden State was down six and having another difficult night on offense.
Then Williams took over. She made three straight three-pointers in the third quarter and scored 15 points in the period, helping the Valkyries erase a deficit that had grown to nine and take a one-point lead into the fourth. She finished with 30 points, four blocks, two steals and two assists.
Her 28 points after halftime set a record for the most points in a half in the WNBA Finals, topping Angel McCoughtry’s previous mark of 27.
“I love moments like this,” Williams said after the game. She added that coach Nat had urged her to stay patient in the first half. “It was hard, but I listened, and she was right as always.”
Williams’ performance matched the praise Valkyries owner Joe Lacob had given her earlier in the playoffs, when he called her the best player in the world. She had averaged 14.4 points and 2.2 assists during the regular season, then lifted those numbers to 20.3 points and 3.4 assists in the postseason before Game 7. She had already scored 26 points in both Games 1 and 6 of the Finals, but saved her biggest night for the deciding game.
Tiffany Hayes contributed 11 points. Veronica Burton had 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a block, while Kiah Stokes finished with eight points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.
Williams credited the team’s character and culture for its success. “All we heard last year was, ‘We don’t have stars, we don’t have talent’ — yeah, right,” she said. “We’ve got good people, winners, people willing to put their bodies on the floor to win. They don’t care about scoring. They want to defend, rebound and do what it takes. We’ve built a beautiful culture here.”
