AP Recap

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Napheesa Collier made a go-ahead 18-footer with 1:24 left on the way to 24 points, and the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx rallied from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Valkyries 75-74 on Wednesday night and move on in the WNBA playoffs.
Collier shot 10 for 16 and followed up her 20-point performance in Game 1 with a 14-point second half to bring her team back — and give the Lynx another chance to keep chasing that championship they just missed last year.
The Valkyries had one final chance with four seconds remaining following a shot-clock violation, and Cecilia Zandalasini couldn’t convert a jumper.
Kayla McBride made a go-ahead scoop shot for Minnesota with 2:48 to go after DiJonai Carrington connected on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:18 remaining to pull Minnesota within 70-69. McBride wound up with 18 points.
Veronica Burton had 13 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals as the expansion Valkyries nearly extended their special season. Monique Billings scored 15 points off the bench.
Carrington banked in a 3-pointer with 8:30 left that got the Lynx within 63-56 and McBride’s jumper made it a five-point game at the 7:19 mark before Golden State called timeout. The Valkyries immediately committed a shot-clock violation and McBride scored again.
The Valkyries, cheered by their raucous sellout crowd of 18,543, were in control for much of the game — unlike their 101-72 Game 1 defeat Sunday.
Billings rebounded her own miss just before the third-quarter buzzer, scored and converted a three-point play to put Golden State ahead 63-49 going into the final 10 minutes. But Minnesota kept creeping back.
After the final buzzer, fans chanted “GSV!” to celebrate a season in which <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/valkyries-playoffs-expansion-team-74b0020aa69c724036e4294d8eed93fc" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Golden State made WNBA history</a> by becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
And the Valkyries were unfazed playing in an unfamiliar venue for their first postseason home game. That “Balhalla” home-court advantage had to relocate nearly 50 miles south to the NHL San Jose Sharks’ SAP Center because the Laver Cup tennis showcase had booked Chase Center before Golden State had even been granted an expansion team.
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was one of the biggest supporters, sitting courtside with owner Joe Lacob and Warriors President Brandon Schneider.
Golden State lost all four regular-season meetings, three by double figures, so this one will both sting and show these women how close they are. Starting center Temi Fagbenle was a late scratch Wednesday because of right knee pain.
Valkyries <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/natalie-nakase-valkyries-coach-of-year-998e958098170761eaa0307fddd93d0b" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">coach Natalie Nakase was recognized</a> before the game as WNBA Coach of the Year and Burton the league’s most improved player.

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Monique Billings with 15 Points vs. Minnesota Lynx

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Latest

Monique Billings

POSITION:  FORWARD
HEIGHT:  6-4
WEIGHT:  192
BIRTHDATE:  MAY 2, 1996
BIRTHPLACE:  RIVERSIDE, CA
HIGHSCHOOL:  SANTIAGO (CORONA, CA)
COLLEGE:  UCLA
WNBA EXPERIENCE:  7
DRAFTED BY:  ATLANTA, 2018, SECOND ROUND (#15)
ACQUIRED: 2024 EXPANSION DRAFT VIA PHOENIX MERCURY
Career Highlights: 
<ul>
<li>Has appeared in 137 regular season games with 35 starts with an average of 19.3 minutes per game.</li>
<li>Played in five postseason games with Atlanta in 2018.</li>
<li>Career totals include 854 points, 822 rebounds, 113 assists, 111 steals and 71 blocks.</li>
<li>Has recorded nine double-doubles in her four-year career, four of which came in 2021.</li>
</ul>
2024 SEASON (PHOENIX MERCURY)
<ul>
<li>Billings concluded the 2024 campaign averaging 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 37 appearances.</li>
</ul>
2022 SEASON (ATLANTA DREAM)
<ul>
<li>Started in 8 of 23 games played.</li>
<li>Tallied 14 rebounds in her 2022 season debut at Dallas, adding 6 points, 2 steals and a block.</li>
<li>Scored 7 points with 8 rebounds in a win over Los Angeles (5/11).</li>
<li>Scored a season-high 8 points off four made field goals against Las Vegas (5/13).</li>
<li>First double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points in a win over Indiana (5/15).</li>
<li>Came back after missing three games to pull down eight rebounds and pick up a steal and a block in a 27-point win over Phoenix (5/29).</li>
<li>Reached 100 career steals at Chicago (6/17).</li>
</ul>
2021 SEASON (ATLANTA DREAM) 
<ul>
<li>Started in 9 of 31 games played.</li>
<li>Played a career-high 739 total minutes (23.8 per game, second-most in her career).</li>
<li>Her 88 total offensive rebounds and 2.8 per game both ranked third among all players in the league this season.</li>
<li>First season with 100 made field goals, second with 200+ total rebounds.</li>
<li>Career-best 32 total assists, 37 steals and 32 blocks … Career-high 1.2 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game.</li>
<li>One of just seven players in the league to average at least 1.1 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game (joined by teammate Elizabeth Williams).</li>
<li>Started off the 2021 season setting a new career-high record with four blocks against Connecticut (5/14) and tying her career high record of 3 steals. She also went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to lead both teams in free throws.</li>
<li>Her four blocks opening night was tied for the most of any player across the league in opening weekend.</li>
<li>Became the fourth different Dream player to record 4+ steals in a single quarter and the second this season (recorded all 4 of her steals against New York, 6/26, in the first quarter).</li>
<li>Recorded four double-doubles in 2021, three of which came in the Dream’s three games against Dallas: 10 PTS/11 REB vs. Dallas (5/27), 15 PTS/11 REB at Dallas (9/2), 12 PTS/14 REB at Dallas (9/5), 14 PTS/10 REB at Washington (9/10).</li>
<li>Made her way into the starting lineup in the latter part of the season, starting against Chicago (8/24), scoring in double-digits in 7 of those 9 games and recording three of her four double-doubles. In those 9 games she averaged 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.</li>
<li>Milestones:
<ul>
<li>Played her 100th career game at Connecticut (7/9).</li>
<li>Reached 500 career rebounds with a team-leading 7 against Chicago (5/25).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
2020 SEASON (ATLANTA DREAM)
<ul>
<li>Appeared in all 22 games with 16 starts.</li>
<li>Set career records for total points (187), points per game (8.5), blocks (18) and blocks per game (0.8), assists (27) and assists per game (1.2), field goals made (68) and attempted (170), free throws made (51) and attempted (67), minutes (596) and minutes per game (27.1).</li>
<li>She ranked fourth in the league with 58 total offensive rebounds and 2.6 offensive boards per game, while her 187 total and 8.5 rebounds per game both ranked 7th in the league in 2020.</li>
<li>Started off the 2020 season with a career night against Dallas (7/26), leading the team with 30 points and 13 rebounds for her second career double-double.
<ul>
<li>Her 30 points led all scorers in the league opening weekend.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Saw her second double-digit scoring effort of the season against Phoenix (8/14), picking up 12 points with five rebounds and two steals.</li>
<li>Earned her second double-double of the season and third of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Washington (8/19).</li>
<li>Recorded her third double-double in six games and fourth of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds against Los Angeles (8/30).</li>
</ul>
2019 SEASON (ATLANTA DREAM)
<ul>
<li>Appeared in 29 of 34 games with two starts.</li>
<li>Posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a then-career-high 14 rebounds against Washington (6/23).</li>
<li>Led the team in total rebounds on eight occasions, and led in all three rebounding categories (offensive, defensive, total) three times.</li>
<li>Shot 100 percent from the free throw line with at least two attempted free throws seven times, including a team-leading 6-6 performance against Indiana (6/19).</li>
<li>Led the team in scoring twice, including a career-high 16-point outing against Los Angeles (7/23) and 15 points at Seattle (9/1).</li>
<li>Shot and made her first three-point attempt at Seattle (9/1).</li>
<li>Blocked a career-high three shots against Chicago (8/20) to lead the team.</li>
<li>Recorded a career-high 16 rebounds against Los Angeles (7/14), the most earned by any Dream player since Elizabeth Williams pulled down 16 boards in 2016 (vs. Phoenix, 9/11/16).</li>
<li>Set new career high records with nine offensive rebounds (vs. Los Angeles, 7/14) and 12 defensive rebounds (vs. Las Vegas, 9/5).</li>
</ul>
2018 SEASON (ATLANTA DREAM)
<ul>
<li>Selected 15th overall by the Dream in the 2018 WNBA Draft</li>
<li>Appeared in 32 games and averaged 11.0 minutes per game in regular season</li>
<li>Averaged 2.8 rebounds per game with a 44.1 FG percentage</li>
<li>Scored a season high of 10 points and 5 total rebounds, against Washington (7/15)</li>
<li>Tied her career high of 6 rebounds three times  </li>
</ul>
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: 
<ul>
<li>Two-time All-Pac-12 and two-time All-Defensive Team Honoree by coaches and media</li>
<li>Ranks first in UCLA history with 228 blocks</li>
<li>Ranks second in school history with 1,159 rebounds and 677 free throws attempted</li>
<li>Ranks fourth in UCLA history with 435 free throws made</li>
<li>Ranks ninth in career scoring at UCLA with 1,761 points</li>
<li>Became only the third player in UCLA history and the 14th in the Pac-12 to score over 1,500 points and grab over 1,000 rebounds</li>
<li>Averaged 12.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 26.9 minutes per game during UCLA career</li>
<li>Started in 34 of 35 games played during the 2017-18 season</li>
<li>Posted double figures in 31 of 35 games during the 2017-18 season</li>
<li>Scored a career-high 30 points and a career-high tying six steals vs. Oregon in 2016-17 season</li>
<li>Recorded double figures in 32 of 34 games during 2016-17 season</li>
<li>Reached 1,000 point mark in her career in a home win vs. USC during 2016-17 season</li>
</ul>
PERSONAL: 
<ul>
<li>Monique Charice Billings… Parents are Chuck and Jane Billings. Has one sister, Andrea. Her hobbies include singing, modeling and thrift shopping and she majored in sociology.</li>
</ul>

Monique Billings signed a Contract with the Golden State Valkyries.

Monique Billings was drafted in the 2025 Expansion Draft by the Golden State Valkyries.