Gabby Williams scored 19 points, 17 of them after halftime, as the Golden State Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings 77 to 73 on October 2, 2026 and won the first playoff series in the franchise’s history.
They were down 16 before any of that happened. It is tied for the fifth largest comeback in a winner take all WNBA playoff game.
Williams hit the go ahead shot from 17 feet with 1:17 on the clock and closed the rest of it out at the free throw line. Veronica Burton finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Tiffany Hayes came off the bench for 18. Kaila Charles tied the game at 65 with a corner three with 6:51 left.
Dallas had the better first half and the better player in it. Arike Ogunbowale scored 30 on 11 of 21 shooting, 17 of them before the break. Paige Bueckers added 17 points and six assists on 3 of 14.
Golden State hosts the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday, October 4 at Chase Center.
The detail worth keeping is the split. Seventeen of Williams’ 19 points came in the half where her team was behind. That is not a hot start that held up. That is a woman deciding the second half was going to look different.
