Off-balance jumper, five-point lead, elimination game still breathing. Arike Ogunbowale had done her part again.
It was not enough. The Golden State Valkyries finished a 16-point second-half comeback and beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 on Friday night at Chase Center, winning the first-round series 2-1 and earning the franchise's first playoff series victory. Ogunbowale scored 30 points after her WNBA playoff-record 45 in Game 2, but Dallas ran out of answers once Gabby Williams and company flipped the fourth.
Hot early, alone late
Per ESPN's box score, Ogunbowale finished 11-of-21 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 5-of-6 at the line with five rebounds, two assists and five turnovers in 34 minutes. She had 17 points in the first 18 minutes and closed the first half as the game's leading scorer while Dallas built a seven-point edge.
The Valkyries' own recap noted her and-1 reverse layup to open the scoring, a quick corner three, and six points inside a 10-0 Wings run that ended the half.
The third quarter stretched that momentum into an 18-0 Wings stretch that spanned the break. Dallas led by as many as 16 midway through the period. Golden State answered with a 14-4 close to the quarter and outscored Dallas 23-14 in the fourth.
When the Valkyries finally took the lead on a Veronica Burton transition finish after a Kiah Stokes block, Ogunbowale answered the way she had all series: alone.
Personal 7-0, then the wrong silence
ESPN's game story recounted Ogunbowale's personal 7-0 run late, capped by an off-balance jumper with 3:13 left that put Dallas back up five. It was the kind of sequence that forced Game 3 in Arlington. Friday, Golden State outscored the Wings 8-1 over the final two minutes, with Williams hitting the go-ahead 17-footer with about 1:17 remaining and converting four free throws down the stretch.
