The Valkyries complete the sweep of the Las Vegas Aces and advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history with a 87-77 overtime victory at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Friday. The Valkyries went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter and an 8-0 fourth quarter run to overcome a once 13-point deficit and force overtime. In the overtime period, they outscored the Aces by 10 points to seal the win. Gabby Williams hit a clutch step-back mid range jumper in overtime with 54.7 seconds remaining that served as the dagger in the Aces' title defense. Las Vegas had won three of the past four championships, but Golden State joins the New York Liberty as the only teams to beat them during that span. In advancing to the WNBA Finals, the Valkyries will have home court advantage for a matchup against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream, who swept the Liberty in their semifinals series. Both the Valkyries and Dream seek their first championship in franchise history.

"It feels special because this is a special group," Williams said reflecting on the Valkyries' historic first WNBA Finals appearance. "All we need is each other. We just need to believe in each other. We know we weren’t a team that was talked about, but just the culture and going to work every day, we felt that we had something worth fighting for. That’s how we’re going into the finals, with that same mentality [of] staying together and staying unselfish.”

Kayla Thornton was the highest of four Valkyries to score in double figures with 18 points, followed by Gabby Williams' 16 points and 11 each from Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes. Hayes eclipsed 500 career playoff points and is a top-50 all-time scorer in WNBA playoff history. After going scoreless over the first two games of the series but still being extremely impactful, Stokes was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and finished with a double-double.

“I think it just goes to show that with a new team, [you can be successful] with a clear vision of what you want and the identity that you want," Stokes said. "Shoutout to the Valkyries organization, because they had this vision from the start, and to be able to see it come to fruition already in year two is pretty amazing and pretty special. We have a great group, it’s really special, and we’re looking forward to the finals.”

VALKYRIES FACE EARLY DEFICIT FOR THE FIRST TIME
The Valkyries faced early adversity for the first time in the series on Friday. Playing away from home and without a roaring Ballhalla as their “sixth man,” Golden State went scoreless for the first three minutes. Kayla Thornton ended the drought with a 3-pointer, and despite four straight points from Kaityln Chen to close out the quarter, they lost the first quarter by three points for the first time in this series. The Aces only extended their lead in the second quarter, as guard Chelesa Gray scored their first eight points of the frame, hitting some ridiculously difficult off-balance jumpers. Gray finished the half as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting in 18 minutes, and the Aces entered the break with a nine-point lead. Golden State never led in the first half. 

GOLDEN STATE TAKES LEAD WITH 17-0 RUN
Hitting their stride in the third quarter, the Valkyries took their first lead with a 17-0 run. Tiffany Hayes started the run by stealing an inbounds pass under her own basket and sprinted down the court, using her dribble penetration to feed Kiah Stokes for a transition layup. Then, Kayla Thornton became the first Valkyrie to reach double figures with a left-wing triple. Hayes also added a 3-pointer and a layup that brought the Valkyries within a point. Kaitlyn Chen’s layup gave Golden State its first lead, and she assisted Stokes on a corner 3-pointer that capped a 17-point run. Fittingly, a steal sparked the run as the Valkyries’ defense was remarkable over this stretch, holding the Aces scoreless for over seven minutes and forcing 12 straight misses from the field. 

BACK-AND-FORTH IN CLUTCH TIME
The Aces regained the lead in the fourth quarter, putting the Valkyries back on the defensive. Gabby Williams stole the ball, and Kayla Thornton scored a transition layup to tie the game at 69. Veronica Burton, the “clutch time” hero in Game 2, again gave the Valkyries the lead with a go-ahead, tightly contested finish. Kiah Stokes came up with a huge block on an A’ja Wilson jump shot, but Golden State was unable to corral the rebound, and Jackie Young got an easy layup on the inbounds pass to tie the score. Neither team made their final attempt, sending the game to overtime. The Valkyries outscored the Aces 16-6 in overtime and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line to close the series.

"I’m really proud," Head Coach Natalie Nakase said postgame. "I told them that I was proud of our whole team, all 14, because I saw another fight tonight, and that's what I was really proud of. We talked about leveling up one more as a team, and I think that overtime proved  strength in numbers. We really left it all out there on the floor. We really emptied the tank, and so having a successful overtime just showed strength in numbers was key for us tonight.”

UP NEXT
The Valkyries will host Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center on Oct. 17 at 12:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. The WNBA Finals are a best-of-seven series, meaning the Valkyries will need four more wins to be crowed WNBA champions.

By the Numbers