Two nights after rewriting the WNBA playoff scoring book, Arike Ogunbowale did something no Dallas Wings player had managed before. She scored 30 again.
ClutchPoints reported that her 30-point night Friday at Chase Center made her the first player in franchise history with multiple 30-point playoff games, coming on the heels of a playoff-record 45 in Wednesday's overtime win that forced the decider.
Basketball-Reference's box shows she finished 11-of-21 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 5-of-6 at the line, with five rebounds, two assists, one steal and five turnovers in nearly 34 minutes. The Associated Press noted an off-balance jumper with 3:13 left that put Dallas up five. Golden State still closed 77-73 and took the first-round series 2-1.
A five-point cushion that did not hold
Dallas had already stared down a 16-point third-quarter lead and watched it melt. The Valkyries, per their team recap, tied the fifth-largest winner-take-all comeback in WNBA history. Ogunbowale kept answering.
Her late personal stretch put the Wings back in front by five after Golden State had clawed even, but Gabby Williams answered with consecutive baskets and four free throws down the stretch, the Valkyries site reported.
Paige Bueckers finished with 17 points and six assists on 3-of-14 shooting, making all 10 free throws, per the AP. Jessica Shepard added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Neither night matched Ogunbowale's volume. Basketball-Reference lists her as the clear usage leader; the Wings still scored only 29 points after halftime.
Intensity she could not match alone
Postgame, Ogunbowale pointed at the difference in effort. "I think they picked up the intensity a lot, and we only did a little bit," she said, according to Sports Illustrated citing the Wings' YouTube press conference. "I don't think we matched it, and they just seemed like they wanted it more.
Loose balls, rebounds, even that challenge that got overturned by them. She hustled to get that ball, and we didn't. So, I think they just went the extra inch, and that's what got them the win."
