The No. 7 Dallas Wings fell to the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries, 77-73, in a win-or-go-home game Friday night at the Chase Center. The elimination game followed the Wings’ 108-100 Game 2 overtime thriller in Dallas. The Wings’ turnaround season has come to an end following a dramatic playoff finish in Golden State.
Arike Ogunbowale led the way for the Wings with 30 points. Gabby Williams contributed 19 points for the Valkyries after Dallas held her to just one bucket in the first half.
The Wings came
into Ballhalla ready to play an elimination game in one of the WNBA’s toughest arenas. Ogunbowale led the charge for the Wings through the first quarter, backed by early contributions from Jessica Shepard, who had a rough go of the first two games in the series. The Wings held the Valkyries’ offense to a series-low 14 points in the first quarter, continuing the defensive intensity from Game 2. Dallas was able to take early momentum in the matchup with its 19-14 first-quarter finish, despite Paige Bueckers’ 0-of-3 start.
Dallas continued to maintain its physicality in the second quarter as its bench stepped up early again. After providing good minutes through the first half of the second period, Odyssey Sims got hit with an unfortunate landing-space foul on Cecilia Zandalasini that allowed the Valkyries to close the gap on the Wings. The Valkyries’ offense temporarily woke up following a three-point play from Veronica Burton, and Golden State took its first lead of the game.
Just when it felt like the Wings were going to let their defensive woes compound, they responded with an 11-0 run heading into the intermission, led by Bueckers, who finally saw a couple of shots fall, and Ogunbowale, who was ever the constant throughout the back-and-forth three-game affair. Dallas went into the half with a 44-37 lead.
The Wings entered the second half as the more composed team, as their defense forced the Valkyries into five missed shots to start the period. Bueckers was able to take the breath from the Valkyries’ lungs with an impactful block and a steal that led to the Wings’ scoring on the other end. Dallas’ 11-0 lead swelled to 20-0 before Golden State could answer back in any way. The Wings allowed Burton to punch back for the Valkyries, cutting the Wings’ lead to single digits. Dallas struggled to defend the Valkyries in the paint, leading to an 11-2 Golden State run later in the third. The Wings gave themselves a slight cushion early in the period, but that lead dissolved to 59-54 as the third quarter concluded.
The Wings continued to let momentum slip away to start the fourth quarter, as Williams and Tiffany Hayes tied the game up. Ogunbowale responded on a 7-0 run of her own after a temporary exit from the game due to a tweaked groin late in the fourth. Golden State dealt returning blows from Williams and Kaila Charles, leading to a Golden State one-point lead. Dallas ran out of gas and ultimately was unable to fight back, losing 77-73.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s Game 3 loss.
Rebounds
The Wings allowed the Valkyries to grab 14 offensive rebounds, creating extra offensive opportunities for Golden State. In a game where possessions matter, the Wings allowed the Valkyries to beat them on the margins as the game wore on. The Valkyries have an average offense, highlighted by their scoring drought in the second and into the third quarter. Golden State wanted the extra possessions more than the Wings, and the Wings’ inability to box out on defense gave Golden State the room needed to complete a comeback from down as many as 16 points in the middle of the third.
Playoff Paige
Paige Bueckers finished with 17 points on 3-of-14 shooting. She struggled to find her shot against a tough defensive team in the Valkyries and in a matchup against DPOY runner-up Gabby Williams. Though her shots didn’t fall at her usual highly efficient rate, she was able to affect the game in other ways. Her ability to draw contact on drives allowed her to contribute to the scoring column at the free-throw line. She also had a couple of defensive stops in the third quarter during the Wings’ run.
After an uber-efficient Game 1 performance, Bueckers struggled with the Valkyries’ defensive pressure at times. She was able to take these moments and affect the game in other ways tonight, allowing the Wings to remain afloat throughout the game. Bueckers’ first playoff series didn’t end how she may have wanted, but she will be back and better.
“Paige is taking it hard,” Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said after the game. “She carries that load. She’s a winner. This series shouldn’t have any inkling on the kind of season she had for us. We don’t get to this point without Paige. She takes a lot of ownership and carries a heavy load. The great ones do.”
Arike’s impact
Arike Ogunbowale’s impact for Dallas in this series cannot be understated. Dallas has had to rely heavily on her, with Bueckers being the Valkyries’ lead defensive focus. She finished with 30 points tonight, with Dallas needing every last one. She left the game temporarily in the fourth quarter after tweaking her leg, but quickly returned. She has been the ultimate professional all season in Dallas, and Games 2 and 3 were an encapsulation of her leadership and her elite scoring skills that are made for the playoffs. She is one of the league’s most clutch players, and the Wings couldn’t have been in this position without her legendary scoring.
“The way that Arike finished this season, the last two games,” Fernandez said. “Showed that she can get to the basket, command the big moments and hit big shots.”
The WNBA Playoff Semifinals will kick off on Sunday without Dallas. The Valkyries will face the Las Vegas Aces, while the New York Liberty will square off against the Atlanta Dream.
