Gabby Williams' 8 Overtime Points Send the Year-2 Valkyries to the WNBA Finals

Photo: Golden State Valkyries / WNBA.com. Valkyries celebrate the Semifinals Game 3 overtime win over the Las Vegas Aces, Oct. 9, 2026.

Gabby Williams pulled up for a step-back middy with 54.7 seconds left in overtime Friday, and the Golden State Valkyries closed out an 87-77 win in Las Vegas to sweep the defending champion Aces 3-0. Williams scored eight of her 16 points in the extra period, Golden State won overtime 16-6, and the second-year franchise became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, per the AP.

The series ended on a defensive possession. Down 69-63 late, Golden State needed stops against a team that had won three of the previous four titles. Williams found A'ja Wilson with the ball in the high post and took it clean, and Kayla Thornton ran it out for a layup that tied the game at 69 with 1:50 left. Wilson finished 6-for-19.

The first half pointed the other way. Golden State went scoreless for the opening three minutes, trailed after one quarter for the first time all series, and never led before the break. Chelsea Gray hit off-balance jumpers over good contests and had 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting at half. The Aces led by nine at the break and by as many as 13.

Golden State ripped off 17 straight points to go up 53-47 and held Las Vegas to seven points in the period. Tiffany Hayes started the run by stealing an inbounds pass, and Kaitlyn Chen's layup gave Golden State its first lead.

Veronica Burton gave Golden State the lead again on a nine-foot floater with 1:12 left in regulation. Kiah Stokes then blocked a Wilson jumper, but the Valkyries lost the loose ball and Jackie Young scored off the inbound with 27 seconds left to force overtime.

Overtime belonged to Golden State's guards and the foul line. The Valkyries went 8-for-8 at the stripe in the extra period and 20-for-22 for the night. Las Vegas shot 18-for-22. The bigger gap was ball security. Golden State had 12 steals to the Aces' three, and Las Vegas turned it over 15 times to Golden State's 10.

Two former Aces did the damage. Stokes and Hayes both played for the Aces, and both hit double figures in the clincher. Stokes had gone scoreless through the first two games and went 5-for-5 with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Hayes passed 500 career playoff points. Thornton led the team with 18.

For Las Vegas, the night stings on two levels. Wilson was honored before tip for her fifth MVP, and she still put up 21 and 10 and joined DeWanna Bonner as the only players with 1,300 points and 600 rebounds in the postseason. The supporting cast scored too, with Young at 18 and Gray at 17. The Aces just could not get a stop in overtime.

Golden State hosts the Atlanta Dream and Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese in Game 1 of the Finals at Chase Center on Oct. 17, with tip set for 12:30 p.m. PT, per the team. Golden State owns home court. Neither franchise has won a title.

Sources:

• AP recap via WNBA.com. Oct 9, 2026.
• WNBA.com box score: Valkyries at Aces. Oct 9, 2026.
• Valkyries.WNBA.com: Valkyries Complete Sweep, Advancing to WNBA Finals With Overtime Win Over Aces. Oct 9, 2026.
• Photo: Golden State Valkyries / WNBA.com. Valkyries celebrate the Semifinals Game 3 overtime win over the Las Vegas Aces, Oct. 9, 2026.