The number two-seed Valkyries beat the three-seed Aces, 71-60, in Game 1 of the WNBA semi-finals, and it felt like an upset.
Though Golden State finished the regular season ahead of the Aces, Vegas is generally seen as the favorite in this series.
First, because they beat the Valkyries in all three regular season games between the two teams. Second, because they have A’ja Wilson, the four-time MVP. And third, because the reigning WNBA champions have something the Valkyries don’t: Playoff experience. The Aces were expected to win.
But not today.
It started with a block on Wilson. It was Vegas’ first shot of the game, and Kiah Stokes was there to stop it.
Then the Valkyries had three offensive rebounds within the first few minutes of the game. They struggled to score but kept creating opportunities. That was how the first quarter went.
The Aces were shooting over 50 percent, compared to the Valkyries’ 32 percent from the floor. But the Valkyries’ hustle for every ball meant they took more shots and kept themselves in the game.
The exception to the Valks’ initial scoring woes was Gabby Williams. She made 90% of her shots in the first quarter. At one point, the crowd started a “Gabby! Gabby! Gabby!” chant.
Williams’ hot hand didn’t stop in the first quarter. She ended the game with 25 points.
Neither did her team. The Valkyries’ scrappiness got them 20 second-chance points, and their calling-card defense held the Aces to a season-low 60 points.
Besides Williams, Golden State had other standout performances. Stokes and Thornton had 14 and 11 rebounds respectively, many of them offensive boards. Stokes also had four blocks.
“I was coming in like, ‘It’s now or never,'” Stokes said. “I just knew what I had to do.”
And then there was the Valkyries’ newest player, Aminata Gueye, who was a kind of secret weapon (the Aces had never played against her before). Gueye joined the team after the FIBA World Cup, where she played for France, along with Williams and Janelle Salaün.
“I was like, ‘Throw her in. That girl is ready,” Williams said she told Coach Natalie Nakase during the game. And she was. Gueye’s chemistry with Williams was a game changer. She scored nine points and got two rebounds, two steals and a block in her 13 minutes on the court.
It was probably their hustle and skill that won the game today, but there was one other X-factor for the Valkyries, and that was rapper Too $hort.
After the Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings last Sunday in round one, Williams said she couldn’t lose in front of Too $hort, who had performed the halftime show that night. He was her favorite artist as a kid. Well, Too $hort was back in the building for the win on Friday, and he was here for this one.
Let’s hope, for the Valkyries’ sake, he comes back on Wednesday.
Tipoff on Wednesday is at 6:30 p.m. at Chase Center.