Valkyries beat Dream to win first WNBA championship

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 on October 31 to win the WNBA Finals, taking the first championship in franchise history in a decisive Game 7. Gabby Williams scored 30 points and was named Finals MVP as Golden State claimed the title in its second season. The teams arrived at the finale after Atlanta won Game 6, 80-69, on October 29 to level the best-of-seven series. Allisha Gray led the Dream with 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21. Williams scored 26 for Golden State in the loss. The result set up the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. Williams led the Valkyries again in the deciding game, scoring the team’s final 11 points of the third quarter on her way to 30. Her performance secured the Finals MVP award. The Game 7 report did not include a full account of the scoring by other players, but the final score gave Golden State a five-point victory. The Game 6 result came after Atlanta built a 32-15 lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 25 points. Golden State outscored the Dream 43-34 in the second half and closed the gap, but Atlanta held on to force the final game. The series had swung between teams: Golden State won Games 1, 4 and 5,...