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Reporting from CHASE CENTER
The Golden State Valkyries stand one win away from their first WNBA Finals appearance after an 83-81 victory over the Las Vegas Aces Wednesday night.
Las Vegas trailed by as many as 17 in the third quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers from guards Dana Evans and Chelsea Gray tied it 74-74 with 2:10 left in the fourth. A’ja Wilson then put the Aces ahead by two with a driving layup.
Golden State responded. Forward Gabby Williams tied it with a pull-up jumper, and after an Aces shot-clock violation, guard Veronica Burton hit the biggest shot of the night — a 28-foot 3-pointer over Wilson that put the Valkyries up 79-76 with 41.5 seconds to go.
The final seconds became a free-throw contest. Burton made two with 6.4 seconds left for an 83-80 cushion, and after Jackie Young missed the second of two at the other end, Kiah Stokes blocked Gray’s reverse layup off the rebound to seal it — and push the defending champions to the brink of elimination.
Williams continued her steady playoff production with 20 points, but it was Tiffany Hayes who led Golden State with 21 off the bench, three nights after scoring just three in Game 1.
Hayes spent the 2024 season with the Aces, averaging 9.5 points in 33 games on her way to WNBA Sixth Player of the Year. Hayes wears her emotions on her sleeve, and while she said she would hold some things back about beating her old team, she didn’t hide how the night felt:
“It felt amazing to be able to go out there, get a win with the team that I’m with now.”
She added that she loves being around this group and seeing its hard work pay off with a 2-0 series lead.
For Las Vegas, Wilson finished with 24 points and seven rebounds. Gray added 19 points, and Young had 14, eight of them from the free-throw line.
Aces coach Becky Hammon stressed rebounding after her team was outrebounded by 27 in Game 1. Las Vegas lost the battle on the glass by just five in Game 2, but Hammon said it was the offense that kept the Aces from evening the series. Her team went back to not moving the ball enough and couldn’t penetrate and kick out against closeouts, she said, and against the league’s top defense:
“You have to make them work hard. And I think especially in the fourth quarter, we did not make them work hard enough with actions and being intentional.”
The Valkyries set the tone early, flexing their defense again in the first quarter and holding the Aces to a season-low 11 points, fewest in any quarter this season. Golden State also forced four turnovers and won the first-quarter battle on the boards.
A 7-0 Valkyries run early in the second quarter jolted the Ballhalla crowd, and Hayes was at the center of it all. A 3-pointer, a pull-up jumper, then a steal and an assist to Janelle Salaun forced Hammon to call timeout with Las Vegas down 26-13.
Golden State’s bench, which outscored Las Vegas reserves 27-7 in Game 1, came through again. Its 19 points and seven rebounds in the first half helped the Valkyries to a 42-31 halftime lead.
Golden State also kept Wilson in check before the break. She went 0-for-2 from the field in the second quarter and missed all three of her mid-range jumpers in the first half.
Just 55 seconds into the third quarter, Stokes picked up her fourth personal foul and sat for the next 3 1/2 minutes.
It looked like the moment for the Aces to make their run. Williams and Hayes said no, combining for 15 points in the third and pushing the Valkyries lead to as many as 17.
Wilson scored 13 in the quarter, but the rest of the Aces couldn’t get anything going, shooting 3 of 9 from the field, and Las Vegas went into the fourth down 11.
Aside from Wilson, Las Vegas has shot 35 percent from the field through two games. With Golden State owning the league’s top defense, it’s no secret the Valkyries are limiting more than Wilson — they’re limiting the entire team.
No WNBA team has ever come back after losing the first two games of a best-of-five series. The Aces know the spot well — they fell behind New York 0-2 in the 2024 semifinals and lost in four — and will look to be on the right side of history this time.
Up Next
The series shifts to Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas for Game 3 on Friday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Peacock and NBCSN.
Notes
Aces guard Jewell Loyd missed Game 2 with the left leg injury she suffered in Game 1.
Stars in attendance
Musician and Oakland native Sheila E. got the sellout crowd of 18,064 going just before tipoff, banging the drum to lead the “G-S-V” chant, a tradition before every Valkyries home game.
Rei Ami, the singing voice of Zoey in “KPop Demon Hunters,” performed the hit “Golden” and other songs from the 2025 film at halftime.
49ers wide receivers Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel Sr. were also in the building, ahead of Sunday’s Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
