Golden State Valkyries Secure Victory Over Las Vegas Aces in Semifinal Opener

The Golden State Valkyries emerged victorious in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces. They secured a 71-60 win, leading the series 1-0.

Although reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson ended the game with 24 points, her performance was not enough to lead the Aces to victory. She managed only four rebounds, while Golden State dominated the rebounding aspect of the game.

The Valkyries held Las Vegas to 33.7% shooting. Gabby Williams stood out with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, making a significant impact on the game.

Post-game, Aces head coach Becky Hammon candidly acknowledged her team’s struggles. She emphasized the need for improvement, expressing optimism for the future games in the series. Hammon was direct, stating, “I thought that was one of our more atrocious games of the season. I think we shot ourselves in the foot and got outhustled.” Her comments followed a game where Aces guard Jewell Loyd sustained a ‘lower leg injury.’

Hammon pointed out the team’s prior discussions on “rebounding and boxing out” which were not reflected during Game 1. She stressed, “It’s rebounding that was it.” Golden State outperformed Las Vegas on the boards, retrieving 52 rebounds compared to 25 by the Aces. Williams’ contribution was complemented by Kiah Stokes, who led with 14 rebounds, and Kayla Thornton, who added 11 rebounds.

The Aces, tied with the Indiana Fever, ranked seventh in rebounding this past season with an average of 33.4 per game, while the Valkyries were slightly behind, ranking ninth with 33.3 rebounds per game.

Despite the setback, Hammon described the defeat as a “good news, bad news” scenario. “Good news is we played like [expletive] and only lost by 10. So dissect that however you want,” she stated before concluding her media session.

The Aces will seek redemption in Game 2, set for Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET.