Kiah Stokes delivered a stellar two-way performance in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, scoring 13 points with eight rebounds and three blocked shots as the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 on Monday night at Chase Center. The win gives Golden State a 3-2 series lead — and puts the second-year franchise one victory from its first championship.
Kiah Stokes starred as the Valkyries moved within one win of the WNBA title (Credits: ESPN)
Valkyries vs Dream Game 5: Stokes ties Lisa Leslie’s block record
Stokes’ three blocks extended her streak to six straight postseason games with at least three rejections, tying Lisa Leslie (2003) for the longest such streak in a single postseason. She also shot 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and held Angel Reese to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting when contesting her. As the final buzzer sounded, fans chanted “MVP!” while Stokes spoke from the floor. “We appreciate you,” she said. “We got one more.”
Veronica Burton matched Stokes with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tiffany Hayes added 12 points. The pair were part of a reshuffled starting lineup coach Natalie Nakase introduced for the Game 4 win, and she stuck with it on Monday to good effect. Leading scorer Gabby Williams struggled, finishing with nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, but converted a three-point play with 9:08 remaining to put Golden State ahead 49-42.
Valkyries one win from WNBA title: Game 6 Thursday in Atlanta
The first half made history as the lowest-scoring in WNBA Finals history, with Golden State leading 25-22 at the break. Atlanta hurt itself with 17 turnovers that led to 21 Valkyries points, and Rhyne Howard’s 20 points led the Dream. Reese finished with seven points, 15 rebounds and five assists — a far cry from her two standout performances in the first two games of the series at Chase Center.
Game 6 is Thursday in Atlanta, where the Dream will try to stave off elimination at home and force a deciding Game 7 back at Chase Center on Saturday. Golden State, though, needs just one more win — and after Stokes’ statement night, the Valkyries have never looked closer to a first title.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.