With their backs against the wall and their young superstar struggling, the Dallas Wings were on the brink of elimination, trailing the Golden State Valkyries heading into the fourth quarter of an elimination playoff game.
In the end, it was the team’s most tenured player — Arike Ogunbowale — who decided Dallas’ season wasn’t going to let their season end tonight. Ogunbowale scored a career-high and WNBA playoff record 45 points to secure a 108-100 victory over the Golden State Valkyries, including
a game-tying three-pointer with 4,1 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
“It’s special,” Ogunbowale said postgame. “There’s so many great players to come through [this league], but I mean, we gotta do something in the playoffs. I can have this, it’s always a blessing, obviously thank God anytime you can reach a milestone, but winning is more important.”
The Wings came into Wednesday’s game facing elimination after a 104-80 Game 1 loss in San Francisco after the Valkyries outscored the Wings 37-11 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Dallas finished the regular season with a 27-17 record, good for the seventh seed in the WNBA and securing the team’s first winning season and playoff berth since the 2023 season.
Golden State started the game 4-6 from three point range to jump out to an early 21-13 lead at the first media timeout of the first quarter. Dallas kept the game close with Bueckers and Ogunbowale carrying the offensive load (the duo combined to score 11 of the team’s first 13) but Golden State’s widespread offense kept Dallas at bay early, but following a Jose Fernandez timeout, Dallas went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 21 behind an inspired defensive energy and a more patient offensive identity.
Following Dallas’ run, the Valkyries regained control with a 7-0 run of their own, stretching their lead to 30-23 early in the second period forcing another Fernandez timeout.
With their backs against the wall and the season on the line, Dallas responded.
Alysha Clark and Aziaha James combined for 17 first-half points to spearhead a 27-15 run to give Dallas a 50-45 lead heading into the break. Odyssey Sims’ go-ahead layup late in the second quarter gave Dallas its first lead of the game and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Dallas’ defense also stepped up, locking down backdoor lanes that had burned them for easy Golden State points in the first quarter.
“At one point or another, you have to question if there’s going to be a change,” Fernanndez said. “There has to be some kind of fight and they showed it today.”
Unfortunately for Dallas, the third quarter started like the first did —by spreading Dallas’ defense and exploiting the team’s lack of perimter defenders. Offensively, the motion that worked in the second quarter began to stall as Golden State’s defense hardened and regained the lead 62-59. Fernandez again went to Clark and James and the duo provided a spark immediately. Dallas retook the lead minutes later 65-64 on a pair of Ogunbowale free throws.
As the game entered its final act, the teams’ stars exchanged blows. Gabby Williams continued to torch Dallas’ defense while Ogunbowale drained a stepback three and a pair of free throws to seesaw Dallas back in front midway through the fourth period.
The back-and-forth culminated in a Dallas possession down three with 17 seconds remaining.
Enter Ogunbowale. The Wings star guard drained a falling away three pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 93. Following the timeout, Golden State’s Gabby Williams was called for a foul after colliding with Aziaha James, but the referees overturned the foul call upon review and the game went to overtime, where Ogunbowale put the finishing touches on a historic night and a critical victory.
Dallas will travel to San Francisco for the winner-take-all Game 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday.
