Gabby Williams scores 26 as Valkyries edge Dream 68-64 in WNBA Finals Game 1

With 1:18 left on the clock at Chase Center in San Francisco, Gabby Williams stepped to the line and made two free throws to put Golden State in front. It was the go-ahead moment in a Game 1 of the WNBA Finals that the Valkyries would win 68-64 over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday night, and Williams was not done. With 4.1 seconds left she made two more, sealing it and finishing with 26 points against defensive pressure that rarely let up.

Williams pointed to defence when she explained why the team stayed calm. Golden State trailed with a few minutes remaining, but she said the game was right where they wanted it, because it came down to getting stops. That, she said, has been their bread and butter all season, and the habits they built are why they harp on it so much.

The offence was not pretty. Williams was quiet in the first quarter, then scored 16 of her points in the second. No other Valkyrie reached double figures. The team shot 32.1 per cent overall and went 7 of 33 from three-point range. Even so, Williams told the crowd on the microphone afterward that they always knew they would find a way, as fans chanted her name.

The final minutes were a run of Atlanta misses. Rhyne Howard missed a three with 1:09 left, and moments later Angel Reese made a steal. Naz Hillmon also missed from deep. Kiah Stokes missed the first of two free throws with 23.8 seconds to go, and Allisha Gray couldn't connect on a three with nine seconds left. Earlier, Williams had cut the gap to 62-61 with a driving layup at 3:22, after Jordin Canada hit a 13-foot jumper at 4:23 for the Dream.

Gray came back from injury to lead Atlanta with 19 points. She had missed the last two games of the Dream's sweep of the New York Liberty in the best-of-three semifinal because of an injured left ring finger on her shooting hand, and she went through a light practice Friday before starting. Reese added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Canada had eight points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The loss was Atlanta's first of the post-season and ended a 10-game winning streak. The Dream have never won a finals game, having been swept in each of their three previous trips. Coach Karl Smesko said his team was right there, which hurts but also motivates them, and that they would have one day to prepare before playing even better.

There were physical costs. Canada banged awkwardly into Williams's knee on a box out during her late free throws, and an athletic trainer tended to her on the bench in the closing moments. She said afterward she was OK and that it was a long, physical game. Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes hit her face hard on the floor going for a steal and was down with 2:38 remaining before walking off to the locker room on her own. Coach Natalie Nakase said that so far her indication was that Hayes would be fine for Game 2, pending word from the medical staff. Hayes, 37, spent her first 10 WNBA seasons with Atlanta. Nakase called her a fighter and said she would put extra energy into film study because she wants to win this one for her.

The raucous "Ballhalla" crowd gave Nakase the hostile atmosphere she had asked the home fans for. One of these franchises will win its first championship. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Chase Center.