Sparkling, Gabby Williams offers the first game of the WNBA finals in San Francisco

Frenchwoman Gabby Williams reigned on the San Francisco floor on Saturday October 17 to give the Valkyries victory (68-64) against Atlanta in the first game of the WNBA finals. The captain of the Bleues was sparkling, with 26 points scored, including four free throws in the last minute and 18 seconds, sealing the victory at the end of a long undecided shock, where the advantage changed sides seven times.

The winger was closely watched by the Atlanta defense, which nearly won the duel with a three-pointer late in the game, Rhyne Howard seeing the ball bounce on the rim. Gabby Williams was superb in key moments of the game, including her 16 points, including three-pointers, in the second quarter, and a brilliant finish to the game.

The queen of money time

In the last minutes, "I do math: I count the possessions, the points. I wonder what we need now, how much time remains. I think it's the best way to relieve the pressure and simply think possession after possession", explained the Habs, 30, after the match. “Gabby, she finishes matches, she’s clearly one of the best players in the world at the moment. When we need baskets, she goes there and scores them, that’s exactly what we need,” greeted her coach Natalie Nakase.

Carried by the fiery "Ballhalla", nickname of the San Francisco enclosure on WNBA match days, the Valkyries showed themselves united and united to muzzle the gang against Angel Reese (14 points), recent world champion in Berlin. They thus end a series of 10 victories for the Atlanta Dream, and lead 1-0 in these WNBA finals which are decided by the best of seven games (the first to four victories).

A meteoric rise for the San Francisco franchise, which is only playing its second season in the North American league. To get a little closer to the title and take inspiration from Stephen Curry, the quadruple NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors who was present in the stands on Saturday, Gabby Williams will have to repeat during match number on the night of Monday to Tuesday, again in San Francisco.