The Golden State Valkyries erased a 16-point deficit to beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 in a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday night, securing the first playoff series victory in franchise history.
Forward Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 19 points, scoring all but two of them after halftime. Veronica Burton added 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and her layup with 8:19 left pulled Golden State within 61-59. Williams followed with two third-quarter 3-pointers that helped swing momentum back to the Valkyries.
The game turned with 13.1 seconds remaining and Golden State clinging to a one-point lead. Williams leaped back inbounds to recover her own missed shot on a play initially called Dallas’ ball, but coach Natalie Nakase successfully challenged the ruling to keep possession with the Valkyries.
Nakase fell to her knees moments later and needed help getting up before being escorted off the court by a staff member as her players celebrated at midcourt after the final buzzer.
Dallas had built its lead behind Arike Ogunbowale, who hit an off-balance jumper with 3:13 remaining to put the Wings up by five. Ogunbowale finished with 30 points, following a 45-point performance in Dallas’ overtime win Wednesday night at home. Paige Bueckers added 17 points and six assists but struggled from the field, going 3 for 14 while making all 10 of her free throws.
Tiffany Hayes scored 18 points off the bench for Golden State, Kaila Charles hit a tying 3-pointer with 6:51 left, and Kiah Stokes grabbed 13 rebounds.
Before the game, Nakase challenged her team to deliver a complete performance.
“We made a promise to ourselves we are going to play the best four quarters of our lives.”
The win caps a landmark year for the expansion franchise, which this season became the first expansion team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs in its inaugural year. The Valkyries also sold out every regular-season home game, averaged more than 18,000 fans per contest to set a league attendance record, and received the league’s highest franchise valuation from Forbes ahead of the WNBA’s 30th season.
Golden State now moves on to a best-of-five semifinal series against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, beginning Sunday in Game 1 at home. In the other semifinal, the Atlanta Dream will host the New York Liberty.
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