Valkyries force Game 5 after tying WNBA Finals with 67-62 win

Chase Center in San Francisco, home arena of the Golden State Valkyries. — Gregory Varnum / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Summary

Golden State beat Atlanta 67-62 in Game 4 on Oct. 24, tying the Finals 2-2.
Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 17 points; Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton scored 13 each.
The Valkyries forced 18 turnovers and held the Dream to 33.3% shooting from the field.

Golden State resets the series

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday, Oct. 24, at State Farm Arena, bringing the best-of-seven series to a 2-2 tie. Golden State led by as many as 16 points and held on after Atlanta cut into the margin in the second half, according to the league's game record and the Valkyries' recap.^{[1] [2]}

Gabby Williams scored 17 points for Golden State. Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton added 13 apiece, Cecilia Zandalasini had 10, and center Kiah Stokes collected 16 rebounds, Reuters reported. Atlanta was led by Rhyne Howard with 19 points; Jordin Canada and Isobel Borlase scored 10 each. Angel Reese finished with eight points and nine rebounds after averaging 25.5 points and 14 rebounds across Atlanta's two Finals wins, Reuters reported.^[2]

Turnovers swing Game 4

Golden State's defense turned pressure into extra possessions. The Valkyries forced 18 turnovers and committed nine, while scoring 16 points off Atlanta's mistakes, according to Reuters and the team's postgame account. The Dream shot 33.3% from the field, compared with 36.1% for Golden State, and Atlanta went 22-for-31 at the free-throw line while the Valkyries made 11 of 13, the San Francisco Chronicle's box score showed.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Golden State built its cushion before halftime, taking a 42-26 lead into the break after outscoring Atlanta 26-15 in the second quarter. The Dream responded after halftime and narrowed the gap to four points in the final minute, but missed late three-point attempts as the Valkyries protected the lead. Reuters' game report said Burton's late runner helped restore breathing room before Golden State closed out the five-point win.^{[2] [3]}

A best-of-three finish

The teams split the first four games: Golden State won the opener 68-64, Atlanta took Games 2 and 3, and the Valkyries answered in Atlanta. The series now returns to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday, Oct. 26, at Chase Center, the Valkyries said. A Game 6 is assured because the series is tied; the location question for a potential Atlanta game has drawn attention because the Dream's usual Gateway Center Arena is much smaller than State Farm Arena, while the Hawks have a competing home game. SFGATE reported Saturday that the league had not announced a Game 6 venue.^{[2] [5]}

Golden State's response came after consecutive losses put it behind 2-1, including Atlanta's 97-71 victory in Game 3. The Valkyries' win restored home-court advantage and ensured the championship would be decided over at least three more games. Game 5 will determine which team moves within one win of the title; no champion had been decided as of Sunday, Oct. 25.^{[1] [2] [5]}

Reporting sources

This article follows our editorial standards. To report an error, see our corrections policy.