The No. 7 seed Dallas Wings entered Game 2 of their first-round WNBA playoff series against the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries on the brink of elimination. And with their season on the line, Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale delivered the best game of her WNBA career.
Ogunbowale willed the Wings to a 108-100 overtime win over the Valkyries on Wednesday, Sept. 30, recording a career-high 45 points in 42 minutes, which sets a WNBA record for the most points scored in a playoff game. The Wings needed every last point to force a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Valkyries on Friday.
The Wings trailed the Valkyries 93-90 with 14.6 seconds remaining in the game. That's when Ogunbowale stepped up and knocked down a game-tying 3-point shot to force overtime.
You've probably heard that before.
"I guess I like when the time is going down," Ogunbowale said with a laugh.
HISTORY BY ARIKE 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 1, 2026
With this free throw she records 43 PTS and sets a WNBA record for most points in a Playoff game!
GSV-DAL | ESPN | 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel | @madebygoogle | Overtime presented by@CapellaU pic.twitter.com/rbIWYq2Kpf
Wings teammate Paige Bueckers said Ogunbowale's game-tying 3-pointer was reminiscent of her back-to-back Final Four buzzer-beaters at Notre Dame in 2018. Or Ogunbowale's game-winning 3-pointer to lift Mist BC over Breeze BC (which Bueckers plays for) in the Unrivaled semifinals earlier this year.
"Man, I can't even put into words what she just did. I'm on the court in awe," said Bueckers, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds on a tough shooting night. "I'm just like, 'Let me get her the ball and get out the way.' I got flashbacks from the Final Four when I was in high school when she hit two game winners at Notre Dame. I got a terrible flashback to Unrivaled when she hit the game winner in the same spot in the same corner to beat our team, the Breeze. So an honor to be on the floor with her tonight. She really carried us."
After being limited to 10 points in the Wings' Game 1 loss, Ogunbowale came out hunting her shot on Wednesday and put her foot on the gas in the second half as the Wings fought to keep their season alive. Ogunbowale scored 22 of her 45 points in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
"I felt like the first game I wasn't aggressive enough," Ogunbowale said. "I was really passive and I wanted to come out and be aggressive and find my teammates and root myself to score. And that's what I did."
The 5-foot-8 guard out of Notre Dame finished the game shooting 12-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from the 3-point line and 16-of-18 from the free throw line. She also added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Ogunbowale's record night wasn't without flaws.
With 2:26 remaining in overtime, the Valkyries' Tiffany Hayes threw Ogunbowale to the ground and then Ogunbowale got up and shoved Hayes in the neck. Upon review, referees handed both players flagrant 1 fouls.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arike Ogunbowale saves Wings' season by scoring most points ever in a WNBA playoff game
