Valkyries Out-Rebound Aces 52-25 to Take Game 1, 71-60
Golden State won the glass 52-25, with 17 offensive rebounds to two for Las Vegas, and Gabby Williams scored 25 as the Valkyries took a 1-0 semifinal lead.
Photo: WNBA.com. Official Gabby Williams headshot, Golden State Valkyries.
Golden State beat Las Vegas 71-60 on Sunday at Chase Center in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, per the Valkyries' series preview.
Gabby Williams scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and five assists on 9-of-18 shooting, and the Valkyries won the glass 52-25, including 17 offensive rebounds to two for Las Vegas. A'ja Wilson led the Aces with 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting. Golden State led at the end of every quarter, held Las Vegas to its lowest point total of the season, and hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night.
The rebounding gap decided this one more than any made shot. Las Vegas turned the ball over six times all afternoon. Golden State turned it over 14 times. Winning the turnover battle by eight and still losing by 11 means the other team found extra possessions, and Golden State found them on the offensive glass. Seventeen offensive boards gave the Valkyries 69 field-goal attempts to 62 for the Aces, and the extra chances landed in the paint, where Golden State outscored Las Vegas 34-18. Points off turnovers finished 11-11, per ESPN, so the Aces' eight-turnover edge produced no net points. Kiah Stokes did not score. She missed all three of her shots and finished with 14 rebounds, seven of them offensive, plus four blocks in 27 minutes. Kayla Thornton added 11 rebounds and five more on the offensive end. That is 12 offensive rebounds from two players against two for the entire Aces roster.
Stokes knows this matchup from the other bench. She was Wilson's backup during all three Las Vegas title runs, per the Valkyries' series preview. Three of her four blocks came on Wilson attempts inside eight feet, at 9:30 of the first quarter and at 3:19 and 2:34 of the second, and the fourth came on Kalani Brown. Wilson still reached 24 by getting to the line, where she went 8-of-11, and by hitting turnarounds and pull-ups from 10 to 21 feet. She finished with four rebounds and no offensive boards in 35 minutes. Wilson averaged 32.0 points against Indiana in the first round, the most of any player in the playoffs.
Williams built the lead early. She had 13 points in the first quarter, with two threes from 25 feet and an and-one layup, and 18 by halftime. Her shot cooled after the break, and her passing took over. During an 11-5 Golden State run in the third quarter that turned a 41-37 lead into 52-42, Williams set up Thornton for a running layup and Aminata Gueye for two more, the second an and-one. Gueye finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes. When Jackie Young hit a three to cut it to 58-53 with 8:25 left, Williams answered with a 27-foot step-back three. She then found Thornton for a layup at 4:03 and drove for one of her own to make it 69-58 with 2:44 to play.
Chelsea Gray passed Alyssa Thomas for the most assists in WNBA playoff history in the second half, on a pass to Wilson at 4:10 of the third quarter, per the NBA on X. The record came inside a rough shooting day for the Las Vegas guards. Gray went 5-of-14 for 16 points with three assists. Young went 4-of-15 for 11 points with five assists and three steals. Jewell Loyd went scoreless in 17 minutes. The Aces' bench scored seven points, and Golden State's bench scored 27, led by Kaitlyn Chen's 11 points and a late block on Mai Yamamoto. Las Vegas shot 34 percent from the field and 7-of-21 from three.
Las Vegas swept the regular-season series 3-0, winning 91-81, 84-79, and 92-73 for an average margin of 11.3 points. The 60 points were the Aces' lowest total of the season, below a previous low of 66, reached twice, per ESPN. The Aces and the Liberty, the last two champions and the only two teams left with a title, both lost Game 1 on Sunday.
The Dyme's Saturday preview set up Williams' 19.0 average against Las Vegas.
Brianna Turner played 17 minutes and Kalani Brown played three for the Aces. NaLyssa Smith and Janiah Barker are out for the season, and Dana Evans and Stephanie Talbot are day to day, per FOX Sports. Game 2 is Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT) at Chase Center, and Game 3 is Friday in Las Vegas.
Sources
- ESPN box score, Aces at Valkyries, WNBA semifinals Game 1. Oct 4, 2026. Final 71-60. quarters GS 22-12-22-15, LV 18-13-17-12. Williams 25/11/5 on 9-18 FG, 4-7 3PT. Stokes 0 pts, 14 reb (7 off), 4 blk in 27 min. Thornton 11 reb (5 off). Wilson 24 on 8-21 FG, 8-11 FT, 4 reb. Gray 16 on 5-14. Young 11 on 4-15, 5 ast, 3 stl. Loyd 0 in 17 min. Chen 11. Gueye 9 on 4-5. rebounds 52-25, offensive rebounds 17-2, turnovers LV 6 / GS 14, FGA 69-62, paint 34-18, points off turnovers 11-11, bench 27-7, LV 34% FG and 7-21 3PT. Game 2 Wed Oct 7, 9:30 p.m. ET at Chase Center. Game 3 Fri Oct 9 in Las Vegas.
- ESPN play-by-play, Aces at Valkyries. Oct 4, 2026. Stokes blocks on Wilson inside eight feet at 9:30 1Q, 3:19 and 2:34 2Q; fourth block on Kalani Brown. Gray record assist to Wilson at 4:10 3Q. Williams 13 in 1Q, 18 at half. third-quarter 11-5 run from 41-37 to 52-42; Williams assists to Thornton and Gueye. Williams to Thornton layup at 4:03 4Q. Young three to 58-53 at 8:25 4Q. Williams 27-foot step-back three. Williams layup to 69-58 at 2:44.
- NBA on X: Chelsea Gray passes Alyssa Thomas for most assists in WNBA playoff history. Oct 4, 2026.
- WNBA on X: Gabby Williams drive for a 69-58 lead. Oct 4, 2026.
- Golden State Valkyries series preview. Oct 4, 2026. Las Vegas the defending champion. Stokes was Wilson's backup during all three Aces title runs. Wilson led the playoffs with 32.0 points per game through the first round.
- Valkyries: 2026 regular-season matchups vs Aces. Aces won 91-81, 84-79, 92-73.
- FOX Sports: Golden State hosts Las Vegas to open semifinals. Oct 3, 2026. Last meeting 92-73 June 21. NaLyssa Smith and Janiah Barker out for the season; Dana Evans and Stephanie Talbot day to day.
- ESPN: Las Vegas Aces 2026 schedule. Previous season low was 66 points, twice. 60 is the Aces' lowest total of 2026.
- The Dyme: Gabby Williams' 19 a Game Against the Aces Frames Sunday's Semifinal. Oct 3, 2026.
- Photo: WNBA.com. Official Gabby Williams headshot, Golden State Valkyries.
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