Valkyries win Game 4 in Atlanta to even WNBA Finals

ATLANTA — Gabby Williams scored 17 points and Golden State played stellar defense to beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday and even the WNBA Finals at 2-2.

The best-of-seven series moves back to California on Monday for Game 5.

The Valkyries stymied Atlanta star Angel Reese, holding her to only eight points. She had dominated the previous two games, averaging 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in the Dream victories. Reese struggled in Game 4, missing 10 of her 12 shots, including a few layups in the fourth quarter, after having double-doubles in each of the first three games.

Tiffany Hayes was moved into the starting lineup Saturday and scored all of her 13 points in the second half as the Valkyries got their first victory since Game 1.

“We just had to have more fight, more grit, and get back to us,” Hayes said in a postgame TV interview. “We still made a few mistakes but at the end of the day we played hard and we came out with the win.”

Atlanta trimmed a 16-point halftime deficit to 61-55 midway through the fourth quarter, bringing fans in the sellout crowd of more than 17,000 to their feet. Golden State answered with a three-pointer by Veronica Burton to briefly silence them.

The Dream then scored seven of the next nine points, including a three-point play by Rhyne Howard with 28 seconds left to pull to within 66-62.

Burton then made the first of two free throws a second later and Atlanta couldn’t convert on the other end.

Howard finished with 19 points for Atlanta, which shot only 33.3% overall and four for 23 from three-point range.

Golden State players had said between the 26-point Game 3 loss and Game 4 that they were confident they could win on Saturday and just needed to be more physical and play harder. They showed that grit on both ends of the court.

Defensively, they challenged Atlanta shots, led by Kiah Stokes, and limited the Dream to few second-chance opportunities. Stokes finished with three blocks and now has a WNBA Finals record of 14 in the four games, surpassing the old record of 12 by Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles.

Reese blamed herself for the loss.

“I think it was me, I think I rushed a lot on my shots and I didn’t take my time and finish around the basket like I’ve been doing the last three games,” Reese said. “It happens and I’m just looking forward to the next game and just do it.”

Reese blocked three shots but had six of Atlanta’s 17 turnovers, but Stokes made a difference on defense in Game 4.

“She’s been the head of their snake all series, so for me it was just trying to make every look that she had of the basket difficult,” Stokes said. “It’s a tough job, but I think being our best defensive big, I’ve got to own up to that challenge. Like I said, it was trying to just make her take difficult shots.”

Offensively, they limited turnovers, which had led to easy points for Atlanta in its two victories. The Valkyries also crashed the offensive boards, rebounding their own misses to give themselves more chances to score. Stokes had eight offensive rebounds of her 16 total.

Coach Natalie Nakase also made a change in the starting lineup, Hayes and Kaila Charles for Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini. While the Valkyries got off to a slow start again in the early afternoon tipoff with the Atlanta Hawks playing their home opener at night, but when Thornton and Zandalasini entered the game they paid immediate dividends.

The two helped a key first-quarter run that gave Golden State its first lead since the third quarter of Game 2. Atlanta cut the deficit to 24-20 on Reese’s basket — her lone one of the first half — but the Valkyries responded with an 18-6 run to close the half.

The 42-26 deficit at the break was the largest that the Dream had faced all playoffs.

Atlanta had dominated the third quarter in the WNBA Finals, outscoring Golden State 60-35 in the first three games. The Valkyries wouldn’t let them do that in Game 4.