Kiah Stokes had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night, putting the second-year franchise one win away from a championship.

On a night when leading scorer Gabby Williams struggled from the field, the Valkyries leaned on their swarming defence and got balanced scoring to give them a 3-2 series lead in front of a raucous home crowd.

Golden State forced 15 Atlanta turnovers and scored 21 points off them. Inside, the Valkyries blocked nine shots as the Dream shot just 29.2% from the floor.

Veronica Burton had four of those blocks while also contributing 13 points and eight rebounds.

Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini each added 12 points for Golden State.

Atlanta led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, but Golden State’s defence increased the pressure in the second, with the Dream making just three field goals and scoring eight points in the quarter.

Rhyne Howard made three of the Dream’s six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points in the loss.

Angel Reese grabbed 15 rebounds but had just seven points with three turnovers and four fouls. Reese has averaged 25.5 points in Atlanta’s two wins in the Finals and averaged 9.7 points in their three losses.

The Valkyries will try to clinch a championship on Thursday in Game 6 as the series moves back to Atlanta.

Game 6 will tip off at 12:30 p.m. EDT at State Farm Arena, because the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks have a home game scheduled for that night. The move has drawn considerable criticism, with the possibility of a new champion crowned midday during the week.