Valkyries beat Las Vegas Aces in WNBA semifinals Game 1 - RAW CHILI

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries showed no signs of fatigue on Sunday afternoon at Chase Center.

About 36 hours after they mounted a furious rally to beat the Dallas Wings and reach the WNBA semifinals, the Valkyries beat the Las Vegas Aces 71-60, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

The 60-point output was the lowest Las Vegas has scored all season long, as the Valkyries slowed and dragged the league’s top-scoring offense into the mud.

Gabby Williams had 25 points to lead Golden State and added 11 rebounds and five assists. Kaitlyn Chen added 11 off the bench.

Aces star A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 24 points on high volume, making 8 of 21 from the field.

Late-season roster addition Aminata Gueye, an undrafted rookie who played last year in Spain, made a surprising impact in relief of Kiah Stokes, scoring nine points in 13 minutes and playing solid defense on Wilson.

Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) celebrates with teammate Aminata Gueye (31) after Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Gueye rotated in with Stokes, who played a key role in slowing down Wilson and forcing her Las Vegas teammates to pick up the slack.

Stokes had 14 rebounds, while Kayla Thornton matched Williams’ 11.

“The secret’s right here,” Williams said while making a presenting gesture toward Stokes during the postgame press conference. “This is the secret” to slowing down Wilson, a four-time MVP and the league’s leading scorer each of the last three seasons.

Golden State’s calling card came on the boards, as the Valkyries outrebounded Las Vegas 52-25.

“All we talked about for the last 48 hours was rebounding and blocking them out, and we did not do it,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “Period.”

The Valkyries took a 64-53 lead on Kaitlyn Chen’s running layup with 6:56 remaining, then Hammon called a timeout and tried to steady her troops. The Aces cut into the deficit at times down the stretch but could never fully erase the gap, and Golden State put the game away with clutch layups by Kayla Thornton, Gabby Williams and Chen, whose bucket with 2 minutes to go stretched the Valkyries’ edge to 71-58.

Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen (2) celebrates with teammate Gabby Williams (1) after defeating the Las Vegas Aces during Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Chen played much of the second half in relief of point guard Veronica Burton, who left the game with 7:29 remaining in the third quarter. Burton left the bench for a time after exiting the floor but returned for the remainder of the game later in the third quarter.

Nakase was noncommittal on Burton’s status after the game, saying her point guard was “amazing” but declining to clarify her availability.

“She’s feeling great,” Nakase said of Burton. “Kaitlyn was fresh. I’m playing a fresh Kaitlyn Chen. Strength in numbers means you play your fresh players, because they’re all capable of playing.”

Burton played 37 minutes in Golden State’s win over Dallas on Friday. She played 18 on Sunday.

Vegas guard Jewell Loyd left the game with 7:29 remaining in the third quarter with a left leg injury and did not return.

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) shoots against Golden State Valkyries’ Aminata Gueye (31) during Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Stokes, whom Nakase called the game’s MVP, was unhappy with her regular-season performance against the Aces, the team with whom she won WNBA championships in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The Valkyries had beaten Las Vegas just once in their two-year existence, a 95-68 win in June 2025.

Otherwise, Vegas has had their number over six regular-season games. But not on Sunday.

“I know what I can bring to this team,” Stokes said. “So mentally, I was coming in like, ‘It’s now or never.’ This is the semis. There was no time to think too much about it. I just knew what I had to do, and shoutout to my teammates for trusting me. But this was definitely a team win.”

Sunday was the first game for Nakase since Golden State’s coach collapsed to the floor during Friday night’s game. Nakase said she was fine to coach before Sunday’s game and showed no obvious signs of ill health during the course of the action.

Game 2 starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday back in San Francisco.

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Golden State Valkyries fans celebrate after a basket in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) shoots past Las Vegas Aces’ Chelsea Gray (12) in the third quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes (41) grabs a rebound over Las Vegas Aces’ Jackie Young (0) in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase gestures to her players in the third quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaun (13) gets fouled by Las Vegas Aces’ Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Kiah Stokes (41) battles Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) for a loose ball in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

A Golden State Valkyries holds up a sign in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Cecilia Zandalasini (24) shoots over Las Vegas Aces’ Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon reacts while playing the Golden State Valkyries in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Aminata Gueye (31) shoots over Las Vegas Aces’ Chelsea Gray (12) in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) fouls Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) during Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries fans cheer after a basket against the Las Vegas Aces in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) shoots past Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes (15) in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) reacts after a play during Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase sits courtside while playing the Las Vegas Aces in the second quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) goes up for a basket against Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Aminata Gueye (31) celebrates with teammate Kaitlyn Chen (2) after Gueye made the basket and got the foul in the third quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Las Vegas Aces 71-60. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams (1) goes up against Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon gestures while playing the Golden State Valkyries in the first quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

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