The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA title Saturday in just their second season of existence, outlasting the Atlanta Dream in seven games.

The Valkyries captured the crown in front of their home “Ballhalla” crowd in San Francisco following a back-and-forth championship series.

After prevailing in a tight Game 1, Golden State was blown out in the next two games. The Valkyries regrouped and rattled off two straight victories of their own to take a 3-2 series lead but couldn’t close out the Dream on the road in Game 6.

Tonight in Game 7, the Valkyries jumped out to an 8-0 lead, holding the Dream to the longest scoring drought to open a game in WNBA Finals history. But the Dream started to heat up midway through the first quarter and took a six-point lead into the half, thanks primarily to Jordin Canada’s 11 second-quarter points. But the Valkyries didn’t stay in the doldrums for long; Williams simply wouldn’t let them.

Williams had 15 points in the third quarter, outscoring the Dream (14) by herself in the frame. She made three straight 3-pointers that absolutely brought the house down. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, and the game was tied at 57 with just over two minutes to play, but then Williams hit yet another 3-pointer that put the Valkyries ahead for good.

Allisha Gray hit a big 3-pointer to make it a four-point game with 34.2 seconds left, and then made it a one-possession game with two free throws with 10.5 seconds left. But Veronica Burton sealed it with two free throws of her own for the Valkyries. For Atlanta, Angel Reese was held to eight points and 12 rebounds.

This win capped off one of the unlikeliest title runs in recent sports history. Three years ago, when Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob officially introduced the Valkyries as the league’s first expansion team since 2008, Lacob guaranteed that the Valkyries would win a title within five years. It turns out, it only took two years.

Congratulations to the Valkyries what a game!

The Culture Keeper-