Kenya’s Madina Okot missed out on historic minutes in the WNBA Finals as the Atlanta Dream narrowly fell 68-64 to the Golden State Valkyries in Game One of the best-of-seven series on Saturday night in San Francisco’s Chase Center.
Madina remained on the bench as the Dream had a chance in the final minute to send the opening game of the WNBA Finals into overtime, but they could not crack Golden State’s league-best defence.
The defeat snapped Atlanta’s five-game postseason winning streak. Allisha Gray, back from a hand injury that forced her to miss part of the semifinals, led the Dream with 19 points. Angel Reese added 14, while Rhyne Howard chipped in 12.
“We had a couple of good looks, they just didn’t go down for us,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said.
ALSO READ: Kenyan ace Madina Okot makes WNBA playoff debut as Atlanta Dream beat Mystics
Atlanta Dream fall to Valkyries in WNBA Finals opener
Atlanta fouled Gabby Williams, who converted both free throws to put the Dream four points behind with 4.1 seconds remaining.
Williams spearheaded the Valkyries with 26 points, becoming the only Golden State player to surpass eight points. Atlanta, however, held the hosts to 32.1% shooting.
The Dream surged to a 22-14 lead by the end of the first quarter, fuelled by Reese’s 11 points. She connected on five of her six attempts.
Golden State responded with 28 points in the second quarter to establish a 42-39 halftime advantage. Atlanta missed nine of 13 shots, while the Valkyries converted 11 of 16 attempts, most from inside the free-throw lane.
“We need to maintain how we want to play for all four quarters,” Smesko said.
ALSO READ: Kenya’s Madina Okot makes history in the United States ahead of defining WNBA decision
Atlanta, which has dominated the third quarter of playoff games this season, continued that trend on Saturday. The Dream moved ahead 56-51 after restricting Golden State to 16% shooting (4-of-25), while shooting 50% themselves (6-of-12).
Kiah Stokes tipped in a basket to trim Atlanta’s advantage to 60-59 with 4:45 remaining.
The Dream maintained their lead until Gray missed a difficult layup and Reese was whistled for a foul, sending Williams back to the free-throw line. She sank both attempts to give the Valkyries a 65-64 edge with 1:18 left.
Howard missed a three-pointer, and Golden State secured the rebound. Atlanta forced a turnover, which Reese recovered.
Canada drove into the free-throw lane before kicking the ball back out to Hillmon, who missed the three-pointer.
Reese was called for a foul while attempting to secure the offensive rebound. Stokes missed her first free throw but converted the second to hand Golden State a 66-64 lead with 23.8 seconds remaining.
That set the stage for the possession that ultimately sealed Atlanta’s fate. The Dream fell to 0-10 in WNBA Finals games, having also suffered defeats in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
“When we have an opportunity to finish a game, we’ve just got to do it,” Smesko said.
The Valkyries will host Game Two on Monday. Both teams are chasing their first WNBA title. Atlanta have fallen short in all three of their previous Finals appearances, most recently in 2013.
The Valkyries, who last year became the first WNBA expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season, are now competing for the championship in just their second year.