Gabby Williams, dominant rebounding lift Valkyries past Aces 71-60

Williams swung the opening exchanges

The Aces landed the first clean blow when Chelsea Gray opened the scoring with a three at 8:27 of the first quarter, and A’ja Wilson soon pushed Las Vegas ahead 5-2. Golden State answered through Williams almost immediately. She tied the game with a three at 7:19, put the Valkyries ahead 8-7 with another from deep at 6:26, and kept surfacing whenever the first quarter threatened to tilt back toward Las Vegas.

That mattered late in the period. After Wilson’s turnaround jumper put the Aces up 18-17 with 1:25 left, Williams finished a three-point play at 1:08, then sank two free throws with 35.4 seconds remaining to send Golden State into the break with a 22-18 lead. The second quarter extended that push. Kaitlyn Chen hit a three 23 seconds in, Aminata Gueye followed with a basket at 8:18, and the Valkyries had a 27-18 cushion before Las Vegas settled back in. Wilson and Gray steadied the Aces enough to cut the margin to 34-31 by halftime, but Golden State had already established the pattern that would hold all day: every Aces push required extra work because the Valkyries kept creating more chances.

The third-quarter answer held up

Las Vegas made its sharpest move early in the third. Gray’s three at 7:06 pulled the Aces within 36-34, the closest they had been since the opening minutes of the second quarter. Golden State answered cleanly. Cecilia Zandalasini buried a three at 6:45, Chen followed with a driving layup at 6:11, and the home side rebuilt breathing room before Gueye’s three-point play at 2:21 stretched the lead to 52-42. By the end of the quarter, the Valkyries were back up eight at 56-48.

The Aces still had one more charge. Jackie Young’s three at 8:25 of the fourth trimmed the deficit to 58-53 and briefly put the pressure back on Golden State. The response was decisive. Tiffany Hayes split a pair of free throws, Williams drilled a step-back three at 7:21, and Chen added a short jumper at 6:56 for a quick 64-53 advantage. From there, Golden State did not give the opening back. Kayla Thornton scored at 4:03, Williams added a layup at 2:44, and Chen’s drive with 2:00 left pushed the margin to 13 before the Aces closed the scoring in the final minute.

Rebounds, paint points and the players who made them count

The box score makes the difference plain. Golden State finished with 52 rebounds to Las Vegas’ 25, including a lopsided 17-2 edge on the offensive glass. That is an enormous possession gap in a game where neither team shot well. The Valkyries hit 37.7 per cent from the field and 29.2 per cent from three, yet still produced enough offence because they kept extending trips. They also outscored the Aces 34-18 in the paint, a number that fits neatly with the rebounding margin.

Williams was the clearest star, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while hitting four of her seven three-point attempts. She had help in the workmanlike areas that often decide lower-scoring games. Kiah Stokes did not score, but her 14 rebounds, seven offensive boards and three blocks were central to Golden State’s control. Thornton added 11 rebounds, Chen scored 11 points, and Gueye delivered nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes. Las Vegas had the best individual scorer in Wilson, who posted 24 points, and Gray added 16, but the support around them never became consistent enough. Young finished with 11 points and five assists, and no other Ace scored more than three.

Our take: Golden State found a sturdy formula, and Las Vegas saw the cost of losing the glass

Golden State will take plenty from this result because the winning formula looks repeatable. The Valkyries did not need a hot shooting night or a huge assist total to control the game; they won it with rebounding discipline, interior volume and a lead scorer who kept arriving at the right time. The caution is obvious too. Fourteen total turnovers against only 13 assists is a messy offensive line, and cleaner ball security would make this kind of performance less dependent on overwhelming teams on the boards.

For the Aces, the path to a better night is just as visible in the numbers. Ball protection was not the problem; Las Vegas committed only six turnovers. The trouble was that those careful possessions too often ended with empty trips, one-and-done finishes and too little scoring beyond Wilson and Gray. A team that manages only two offensive rebounds and 18 points in the paint leaves itself very little room for a cold stretch. Against a Golden State club that kept cashing in extra possessions, that imbalance became the game.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 8:27

   Chelsea Gray makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jewell Loyd assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 8:01

   Veronica Burton makes free throw 1 of 2

3. 1st Quarter · 8:01

   Veronica Burton makes free throw 2 of 2

4. 1st Quarter · 7:51

   A'ja Wilson makes 21-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)

5. 1st Quarter · 7:19

   Gabby Williams makes 25-foot three point jumper (Kiah Stokes assists)

6. 1st Quarter · 6:58

   Brianna Turner makes 3-foot layup (Jackie Young assists)

7. 1st Quarter · 6:26

   Gabby Williams makes 25-foot three point jumper (Cecilia Zandalasini assists)

8. 1st Quarter · 5:46

   A'ja Wilson makes 13-foot step back jumpshot

9. 1st Quarter · 5:16

   A'ja Wilson makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Jackie Young assists)

10. 1st Quarter · 4:54

    Gabby Williams makes 12-foot pullup jump shot (Kayla Thornton assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 4:23

    Kayla Thornton makes 23-foot three point jumper (Kiah Stokes assists)

12. 1st Quarter · 4:11

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

13. 1st Quarter · 4:11

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

14. 1st Quarter · 3:10

    Jackie Young makes 26-foot three pointer

15. 1st Quarter · 2:21

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 6-foot pullup jump shot (Veronica Burton assists)

16. 1st Quarter · 1:42

    Janelle Salaun makes free throw 1 of 2

17. 1st Quarter · 1:42

    Janelle Salaun makes free throw 2 of 2

18. 1st Quarter · 1:25

    A'ja Wilson makes 16-foot turnaround jump shot (Jackie Young assists)

19. 1st Quarter · 1:08

    Gabby Williams makes driving layup

20. 1st Quarter · 1:08

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 1

21. 1st Quarter · 35.4

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 2

22. 1st Quarter · 35.4

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2

23. 2nd Quarter · 9:37

    Kaitlyn Chen makes 25-foot three point jumper (Gabby Williams assists)

24. 2nd Quarter · 8:18

    Aminata Gueye makes two point shot

25. 2nd Quarter · 7:27

    Kierstan Bell makes 23-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)

26. 2nd Quarter · 6:29

    Gabby Williams makes running layup

27. 2nd Quarter · 6:09

    Chelsea Gray makes layup

28. 2nd Quarter · 5:43

    Gabby Williams makes 25-foot three pointer

29. 2nd Quarter · 4:22

    Veronica Burton makes 9-foot pullup jump shot

30. 2nd Quarter · 4:01

    A'ja Wilson makes 10-foot pullup jump shot

31. 2nd Quarter · 1:42

    Jackie Young makes 24-foot three point jumper (Brianna Turner assists)

32. 2nd Quarter · 1:06

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

33. 2nd Quarter · 36.3

    A'ja Wilson makes 11-foot turnaround jump shot

34. 3rd Quarter · 8:38

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 17-foot pullup jump shot

35. 3rd Quarter · 7:06

    Chelsea Gray makes 26-foot three point jumper (Brianna Turner assists)

36. 3rd Quarter · 6:45

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 27-foot three pointer

37. 3rd Quarter · 6:11

    Kaitlyn Chen makes driving layup

38. 3rd Quarter · 5:59

    Chelsea Gray makes 25-foot three pointer

39. 3rd Quarter · 5:45

    Kaitlyn Chen makes free throw 1 of 2

40. 3rd Quarter · 5:45

    Kaitlyn Chen makes free throw 2 of 2

41. 3rd Quarter · 4:30

    Kayla Thornton makes running layup (Gabby Williams assists)

42. 3rd Quarter · 4:10

    A'ja Wilson makes 11-foot turnaround jump shot (Chelsea Gray assists)

43. 3rd Quarter · 4:10

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1

44. 3rd Quarter · 3:52

    Aminata Gueye makes 1-foot layup (Gabby Williams assists)

45. 3rd Quarter · 2:55

    Gabby Williams makes 18-foot pullup jump shot

46. 3rd Quarter · 2:42

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

47. 3rd Quarter · 2:42

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 2:21

    Aminata Gueye makes 8-foot layup (Gabby Williams assists)

49. 3rd Quarter · 2:21

    Aminata Gueye makes free throw 1 of 1

50. 3rd Quarter · 1:58

    Chelsea Gray makes free throw 1 of 2

51. 3rd Quarter · 1:58

    Chelsea Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

52. 3rd Quarter · 1:21

    Chelsea Gray makes 10-foot pullup jump shot

53. 3rd Quarter · 58.7

    Aminata Gueye makes 3-foot layup (Kaitlyn Chen assists)

54. 3rd Quarter · 26.3

    Kaila Charles makes two point shot

55. 3rd Quarter · 5.9

    Mai Yamamoto makes driving layup (Chelsea Gray assists)

56. 4th Quarter · 9:19

    Tiffany Hayes makes 10-foot driving floating jump shot (Aminata Gueye assists)

57. 4th Quarter · 8:57

    A'ja Wilson makes 10-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)

58. 4th Quarter · 8:25

    Jackie Young makes 27-foot three point jumper (Mai Yamamoto assists)

59. 4th Quarter · 8:10

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2

60. 4th Quarter · 7:21

    Gabby Williams makes 27-foot three point step back jumpshot (Kaila Charles assists)

61. 4th Quarter · 6:56

    Kaitlyn Chen makes 6-foot two point shot

62. 4th Quarter · 6:40

    Jackie Young makes 3-foot two point shot

63. 4th Quarter · 6:08

    Chelsea Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

64. 4th Quarter · 5:28

    Kayla Thornton makes free throw 2 of 2

65. 4th Quarter · 4:44

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

66. 4th Quarter · 4:44

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

67. 4th Quarter · 4:03

    Kayla Thornton makes running layup (Gabby Williams assists)

68. 4th Quarter · 2:44

    Gabby Williams makes driving layup

69. 4th Quarter · 2:00

    Kaitlyn Chen makes driving layup

70. 4th Quarter · 53.4

    Kalani Brown makes two point shot