SAN FRANCISCO — Gabby Williams thrives when the stakes are highest, delivering her best basketball with her back against the wall. In a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Dallas Wings, she did exactly that, spearheading a 16-point rally that lifted the Golden State Valkyries to a 77-73 victory and the franchise’s first playoff series win in just its second season.
The comeback ranks as the fifth-largest in a decisive WNBA playoff game and the largest since the Las Vegas Aces erased a 16-point deficit against the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the 2020 semifinals. The Valkyries now advance to face the reigning champion Aces in a best-of-five semifinal series beginning Sunday at Ballhalla.
Williams scored 17 of her 19 points after halftime, including 11 in the fourth quarter. She outscored Dallas 8-1 over the final two minutes, punctuating a performance that followed her career-high 36-point effort in Game 2.
“Big shot Gabby,” guard Tiffany Hayes said. “She’s our dog, she’s our leader, and she’s the one we go to. She showed you exactly why. We’ll do it again and again. That’s Gabby Williams.”
Williams said the trust she sought when signing with Golden State in the offseason fueled her confidence in the moment.
“I wanted someone to believe in me in this league,” Williams said. “I never quite got that belief from a staff or teammates. The fact they trust me with the ball in my hands — it’s not even about making the right shot, just making the right decisions. I’m able to do that because we have four people on the floor who can go off at any time.”
The Valkyries needed every bit of that resilience. Dallas closed the first half and opened the third quarter on a 20-0 run, building a 16-point lead midway through the period. Golden State remained composed. The turning point, Williams said, arrived when Veronica Burton drilled a 26-foot 3-pointer over Paige Bueckers to end the scoring drought.
“Once we all saw that go in, we said, ‘OK, we saw one go in and now it’s our time to get going,'” Williams said. “It was all about getting stops from there.”
Golden State responded with a 14-4 run over the final 4:54 of the third quarter, trimming the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Valkyries then outscored Dallas 23-14 in the final period to complete the turnaround.
Burton finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double in Valkyries postseason history, while Hayes added 18 points off the bench.
With 1:40 remaining, head coach Natalie Nakase briefly collapsed on the court while speaking with an official. She rose slowly, was assisted to the bench, and given water. Nakase remained courtside and finished coaching the game. Team officials attributed the episode to exhaustion and lightheadedness. Nakase did not address reporters afterward, but assistant coach Kasib Powell said she was doing well and expected to be available for Game 1.
“We saw her afterwards and she was fine — laughing and in good spirits,” Powell said. “We’ll figure out more as we go, but I think she is totally fine. She’s talking, she’s laughing, so we look forward to preparing and getting ready for Sunday.”