Ogunbowale's historic night lifts Wings past Valkyries in overtime
With their season on the line, the Dallas Wings turned to their most experienced player, Arike Ogunbowale, who delivered a career-high and WNBA playoff record 45 points to secure a 108-100 overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Ogunbowale's game-tying three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime, where she finished off the historic performance.[S1]
The Wings entered the game facing elimination after a 104-80 loss in Game 1 in San Francisco, where the Valkyries outscored them 37-11 in the second quarter. Dallas finished the regular season with a 27-17 record, earning the seventh seed and the franchise's first winning season and playoff berth since 2023.[S1]
Golden State started hot from beyond the arc, making four of their first six three-point attempts to take a 21-13 lead at the first media timeout. Dallas kept pace behind Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers, who combined for 11 of the team's first 13 points, before an 8-0 run tied the game at 21 following a Jose Fernandez timeout. The Valkyries responded with a 7-0 run to lead 30-23 early in the second quarter, forcing another Dallas timeout.[S1]
Dallas answered with a 27-15 run sparked by Alysha Clark and Aziaha James, who combined for 17 first-half points, to take a 50-45 lead into halftime. Odyssey Sims' go-ahead layup late in the second quarter gave Dallas its first lead and energized the crowd, while the defense tightened up on backdoor cuts that had hurt them earlier.[S1]
Back-and-forth battle sets up decisive Game 3
The third quarter mirrored the first, with Golden State spreading Dallas' defense and exploiting a lack of perimeter defenders. The Valkyries regained the lead at 62-59 as Dallas' motion offense stalled. Fernandez again turned to Clark and James, who provided an immediate spark, and Ogunbowale's two free throws put Dallas back ahead 65-64.[S1]
In the fourth quarter, the teams' stars traded baskets. Gabby Williams continued to score against Dallas' defense, while Ogunbowale hit a stepback three and two free throws to keep the Wings in front midway through the period. The back-and-forth set up a dramatic finish: trailing by three with 17 seconds left, Ogunbowale drained a falling away three with 4.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 93. After a timeout, a foul on Williams was overturned on review, sending the game to overtime, where Ogunbowale sealed the win.[S1]
Dallas will now travel to San Francisco for the winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday at 8 p.m. The Wings will look to carry the momentum from Ogunbowale's record night into a hostile environment against a Valkyries team that dominated Game 1.[S1]
