Valkyries Sweep Aces in OT, Reach WNBA Finals — SkimNews
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- Golden State Valkyries completed a 3-0 sweep of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces with an 87-77 overtime win, erasing an 11-point third-quarter deficit behind a 17-0 run and outscoring Las Vegas 16-6 in OT
- The Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the Finals in their first two seasons, one year after becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the postseason in year one as the No. 8 seed
- Golden State will face the Atlanta Dream in a best-of-7 Finals starting Oct. 17 in San Francisco, opening as -125 championship favorites
- Gabby Williams stripped the ball from five-time MVP A'ja Wilson with 1:50 left in regulation to set up Kayla Thornton's tying layup, forcing the overtime period
- Thornton (18 points), Williams (16), Tiffany Hayes (11), and Kiah Stokes (11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) scored all of Golden State's overtime points
- Williams and Stokes, added in free agency after the original roster was built from an expansion draft of players 'their former teams deemed somewhat expendable,' proved to be season-altering acquisitions
Why it matters: The Valkyries were built from an expansion draft castoff pool, then upgraded with two free agents, yet have now ousted the defending champion and opened as -125 title favorites heading into a Finals series they will host. That resets the timeline for how quickly new WNBA franchises can realistically contend and gives Golden State leverage against Atlanta starting Oct. 17.
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