Dream fall to Valkyries in Game 1 of WNBA Finals
SAN FRANCISCO — “Ballhalla” lived up to the hype. It was loud. It was raucous, and there was rarely a moment of peace.
The Valkyries and their fans never gave the Dream any room to get comfortable. The Dream dropped Game 1 68-64 on Saturday afternoon at Chase Center.
Despite strong starts in both halves, the Dream couldn’t hold on at the end of the second and fourth quarters. That left the door open for the Valkyries to regain control.
Quick stats: Dream guard Allisha Gray led the team with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Angel Reese had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Rhyne Howard had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Valkyries’ Gabby Williams led all scorers with 26 points.
Turning point
The Dream trailed the Valkyries 65-64 in the final two minutes of Saturday’s game after Williams made a pair of free throws. Dream coach Karl Smesko called a timeout, trying to get the right look.
But the Valkyries hung strong, cutting off the paint and Dream shooters Gray and Howard. It left Naz Hillmon open on the right wing for a shot, but it fell short and Reese fouled Valkyries big Kiah Stokes on the rebound.
It was Reese’s fifth foul and sent Stokes to the line for the chance to extend the Valkyries’ lead.
Stokes split the pair, and the Dream couldn’t capitalize out of their timeout. They came up empty on two 3s from Gray, and the Dream couldn’t corral the rebounds for a second-chance opportunity.
Highlight play
Howard didn’t have her best shooting afternoon, but when her shots went in, they were nothing short of impactful.
As the Dream bounced back from their second quarter, they didn’t slow their pace too much, took care of the ball and got the right shots.
For Howard, that came on a drive to the basket on Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes. As Hayes closed off Howard’s space, the Dream wing created her own with a spin, then a fadeaway jumper. It gave the Dream a 46-44 lead with 7:11 to play in the third.
Up next
The series stays in San Francisco for one more matchup before heading to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. The Dream and Valkyries play Monday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) at the Chase Center.