The Golden State Valkyries opened the WNBA semifinals with a 71-60 win over defending champion Las Vegas on Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco, putting the second-year expansion franchise one series win away from its first WNBA Finals appearance.
Gabby Williams carried the Valkyries with a game-high 25 points on 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Golden State led 32-23 with 5:43 left in the second quarter, with Kaitlyn Chen scoring 11 points and Aminata Gueye adding 9 off the bench. Kiah Stokes added 14 rebounds for Golden State.
A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points and Chelsea Gray scored 16. Wilson's Nike signature line, the A'One, launched its "Stone Mauve" colorway earlier this year.
Golden State, the No. 2 seed, reached the semifinals by winning a best-of-three first-round series against the No. 7-seeded Dallas Wings, clinching with a 77-73 comeback victory in the deciding game. The Valkyries entered the league as an expansion franchise in 2025 and are the first WNBA expansion team to reach a semifinal in franchise history, a milestone made possible in part by the league's new collective bargaining agreement, which raised the salary cap to $7 million this season and gave front offices more room to build a roster capable of competing immediately.
Golden State and Las Vegas played Game 2 on Wednesday, Oct. 7, also at Chase Center, before the series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Friday, Oct. 9. If necessary, Game 4 is set for Sunday, Oct. 11, and a deciding Game 5 for Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Source: WNBA.com, Fox5 Las Vegas / AP, and NBC Sports (seeding)
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