Gabby Williams arrived in the Bay Area and immediately made history for the Golden State Valkyries. She has become the first Valkyries player to get an All-Star starting spot. And that quality and confidence were immediately evident when she faced someone who narrowly missed the All-Star starting lineup: Angel Reese. The Valkyries encountered the Dream for the third time in four games, and Williams’ reaction to Reese has caught attention.

The Dream was running away with the game late in the fourth quarter, leading by 3 points. It seemed the Dream would finally break their Valkyries’ curse after two losses. But the next play from Gabby Williams ensured a comeback for the Valkyries as her reaction injected energy into the team and sent a message across to Angel Reese. 

Williams had an isolation against Reese on the wing, one of the best defenders on the court. Yet, Williams turned with ease and drove past Reese, whose last-gasp jump to block the layup failed. The tough shot went in, and Reese was immediately called for a foul. An exuberant Williams punched the air right in front of Reese as a celebration, getting her team excited and giving the Valkyries some momentum.

She completed the three-point play with her free throw and tied the game. 

From then on, the team swung the game in their favor. Rhyne Howard tried to get Dream back into the game again with a three-point play of her own. But Gabby Williams just refused to lose. From a similar position to the Reese play, she went one-on-one against Howard this time around. The Dream player defended Williams well, but she pulled off an off-balance floater while driving. That shot really buried any of the Dream’s hope of a win as the game finished 88-83 to the Valkyries.

It was the Dream’s fifth straight loss.

Williams terrorized the Dream defense all night, finishing with 19 points, 2 assists and 3 steals. She shot 7-14 from the field and 4-8 from the three-point line and showed why she is an All-Star this season. She is averaging 15.8 points per game while heavily contributing on defense. 

“She’s our humble star,” coach Natalie Nakase said after the game regarding Gabby Williams. “She leads with grace, she leads with humility, and I think that’s what allows everyone else to shine because she doesn’t need to shine every night.”

As the Valkyries rise to a 14-7 record with a 4-game winning streak, the Dream have stumbled to a 12-9 record because of this dismal run. It feels like coach Karl Smesko’s side has lost the spark that made them successful early in the season, while the Valkyries have found theirs.