Chase Center needed a closer. Gabby Williams had been waiting for a staff that would hand her the ball in the exact moment that closer shows up.
She got that chance Friday and finished the Golden State Valkyries' first playoff series win. Williams scored 17 of her team-high 19 points after halftime - 11 in the fourth - as Golden State erased a 16-point second-half deficit and beat the Dallas Wings 77-73, taking the first-round series 2-1.
The Valkyries advance to host the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the semifinals Sunday at 1 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
From 16 down to a franchise first
ESPN reported that Friday's rally tied for the fifth-largest comeback in a winner-take-all WNBA playoff game and was the largest since the Aces climbed out of a 16-point hole against the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the 2020 semifinals. Dallas had stretched an 18-0 run across halftime and the third and led by as many as 16.
Golden State answered with a 14-4 close to the third and a 23-14 fourth.
Per ESPN's box score, Williams went 6-of-17 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line with four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
The Valkyries' recap detailed the finish: Kaila Charles' corner three tied it at 65 with 6:51 left; after a Kiah Stokes block, Veronica Burton finished in transition for the lead; Arike Ogunbowale's personal 7-0 run put Dallas back up five; then Williams hit consecutive baskets, a go-ahead 17-footer with about 1:17 remaining, and four free throws to seal it.
ESPN noted she outscored the Wings 8-1 over the final two minutes.
The belief she came looking for
"Big shot Gabby," Tiffany Hayes said afterward, per ESPN. "She's our dog, she's our leader, and she's the one we go to, and she showed you exactly why. We'll do it again and again and over and over. ... That's Gabby f---ing Williams."
