Valkyries instant analysis: Gabby Williams comes up clutch in win over Dream

SAN FRANCISCO — The beautiful basketball that the Valkyries played on Wednesday in their win over the Atlanta Dream was nonexistent on Friday.

Playing the Dream at home for the second time in three nights, the Valkyries’ offense was all out of whack. Missed shots, turnovers and minimal ball movement were the norm for nearly the entire game.

But despite a rough shooting night, Gabby Williams made sure the Valkyries weren’t going to go home with a loss.

Williams came up huge in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her 16 points in the final 10 minutes to lead the Valkyries to a 78-75 win over the Dream

Starting center Kiah Stokes had her best game of the season scoring 13 points and blocking seven shots.

Kailtyn Chen came off the bench and poured in 13 points while Tiffany Hayes added 12.

Jordin Canada led the Dream with 23 points. Angel Reese totaled 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Golden State shot 43.5% from the field and 22.7% from the 3-point line.

The Valkyries’ first half was filled with offensive struggles.

Golden State shot 39% from the field and 25% from the 3-point line while committing 12 turnovers. Luckily for the home team, Atlanta was just as bad on offense.

The Dream made just 11 of their 33 field goal attempts. But buoyed by 13 points from Canada, Atlanta led 35-32 at halftime.

Both team’s shooting struggles continued into the second half, though Atlanta made a small run at the end of the third to go up four going into the final 10 minutes.

Both teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, but the game-winning sequence came when Williams took over.

The defensive standout scored 13 straight points in the final minutes, including a steal-and-score to give the Valkyries a four-point cushion with just over a minute left.

Williams helped Golden State get enough stops down the stretch as it cruised to its second straight win.

Chen gives solid minutes

With starting point guard Veronica Burton struggling to find a rhythm, Chen provided a much-needed spark off the bench.

The former Connecticut standout hit 5-of-9 shots from the field and was 1-of-2 from 3-point line. Chen attacked Atlanta’s closeouts aggressively and was a playmaker for an offense that was stagnant for most of the night.