Valkyries advance to WNBA Finals after overtime win over Aces

Golden State's Valkyries moved past the Las Vegas Aces in an overtime thriller to secure a spot in the WNBA Finals, becoming the quickest expansion franchise to do so in its second season. The Valkyries, seeded second, will host the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream beginning Oct. 17, while the Dream completed a sweep of New York earlier in the night.

Gabby Williams contributed 16 points, including eight in overtime, and highlighted the team's unity. > "It feels special because this is a special group. We're about to have some bandwagoners, but we ain't got no love all season. Nobody believed in us, but it made us smile because we were like, 'All we need is each other.'"

The loss marked the first time a Becky Hammon-coached Aces squad was swept in the playoffs, a reversal of the 2020 Finals when the Aces were swept by Seattle. Aces star A'ja Wilson, who was honored for her fifth MVP award, scored 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting and added 10 rebounds. > "I'm going to try to show up and uphold that (championship) standard every single opportunity I get because, hell, we created it. I feel like every year for us is championship or bust. So it's a bust year for us, but at the same time, I'm never going to lose sight of what we've done to this league and how we continue to uplift it."

Former Las Vegas assistant coach Natalie Nakase, now with Golden State, reflected on her journey with the Aces. > "I actually tried to walk through the tunnel with my head down because there are so many people I consider family. Obviously, Becky. She hired me. She's the one who invited me into the W. The years I spent with her, I knew I was going to learn a lot."

Kiah Stokes and Tiffany Hayes each added 11 points for the Aces, with Stokes pulling down 10 rebounds. The game was tied at 69-69 with 1:50 remaining after Williams stole the ball from Wilson and a transition layup by Thornton evened the score, before the Valkyries secured the win in overtime.