Arike Ogunbowale Sets WNBA Playoff Record with 45 Points as Wings Force Game 3
Arike Ogunbowale scored 45 points to set a new WNBA single-game postseason scoring record, leading the Dallas Wings to a 108-100 overtime victory against the Golden State Valkyries. The win tied the playoff series at 1-1, forcing a decisive Game 3.
Ogunbowale Rewrites WNBA Postseason Record Books
Facing elimination after a 104-80 blowout loss in Game 1, Dallas responded with a dominant offensive showing on the road. Ogunbowale played 42 minutes, shooting 12-for-23 from the field, including 5-for-8 from three-point range, and converting 16 of 18 free-throw attempts. She added 7 rebounds, 4 assist marks, and 3 steals to her historic stat line.
https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/2105498612041928939
The guard surpassed the previous postseason single-game scoring record of 42 points, which had been shared by Angel McCoughtry, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier. With Dallas trailing in the final seconds of regulation, Ogunbowale hit a heavily contested three-pointer from the left wing over Gabby Williams with 4.1 seconds remaining, knotting the score at 93-93 and forcing the extra session.
Bench Contributions and Shooting Splits Fuel Dallas Overtime Surge
Dallas outscored Golden State 15-7 in the five-minute overtime period to seal the 108-100 victory. The Wings finished the contest shooting 50 percent overall and connecting on 52.2 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 23 long-range shots.
The supporting cast provided crucial offense for the visitors. Alysha Clark contributed 21 points off the bench, shooting 6-for-7 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Aziaha James chipped in 13 points in just over 18 minutes of action. Meanwhile, rookie Paige Bueckers managed 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting, cooling off significantly from her 21-point performance in Game 1. Jessica Shepard controlled the paint with 8 rebounds and 6 assists despite scoring only 4 points.
Gabby Williams Leads Valkyries as Series Shifts Back to San Francisco
Golden State received a stellar performance from Gabby Williams, who matched Ogunbowale’s efficiency with 36 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Williams also recorded 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals for the Valkyries, who dropped their first game of the year against Dallas after sweeping all four regular-season meetings and taking the series opener.
Kaila Charles added 14 points for Golden State, while Kayla Thornton hit three triples to finish with 13 points. Janelle Salaun and Veronica Burton each contributed 11 points. Despite shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep, the Valkyries stumbled in the rebounding battle, getting outrebounded 44-35, and gave up nine more points from the free-throw line.
The series now returns to San Francisco for Game 3, where both franchises will compete for a spot in the WNBA semifinals.