The Golden State Valkyries sent a loud message to the rest of the WNBA on Sunday afternoon at the Chase Center. Hosting Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Semifinals against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, Golden State put on an elite defensive display to secure a 71–60 victory and take a 1–0 series lead.
Dubbed “Valkatraz” by the Bay Area faithful, the home defense turned Chase Center into a fortress, holding a stacked Las Vegas roster featuring A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray to just 60 total points on 33.9% shooting from the field.
Golden State forward Gabby Williams was the best player on the floor from the opening tip, finishing with a game-high 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range. Carrying the offensive load while playing relentless defense, she lead Golden State’s scoring thrusts whenever Las Vegas threatened a run to cap off a dominant double-double performance.
Despite A’ja Wilson putting up a team-high 24 points, Golden State forced her into an inefficient 8-of-21 shooting night while swarming the paint. Kiah Stokes grabbed 14 rebounds and recorded 4 rejections to anchor the paint defense.
Las Vegas shot just 33.3% from beyond the arc, as Golden State guarded key scoring guards Chelsea Gray (16 PTS, 5/14 FG) and Jackie Young (11 PTS, 4/15 FG) tightly on the perimeter.
Golden State dominated the boards 52 to 25, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points.
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Aces | 18 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 60 |
| Golden State Valkyries | 22 | 12 | 22 | 15 | 71 |
Full Game highlights;
Game 2 of the series remains at Chase Center on Wednesday night before heading to Las Vegas for Game 3.
