Valkyries bury Wings with 37-point second quarter and 18 threes in 104-80 win

The quarter that broke the night open

For much of the first quarter, Dallas looked capable of making this a real exchange. Paige Bueckers set that tone early, scoring 11 points in the opening period and helping the Wings edge ahead 20-19 with 59.5 seconds left. Golden State still carried a 21-20 lead into the break after Tiffany Hayes finished a driving layup with 46.3 seconds remaining, but the margin remained small and the game still had some give in it.

That changed almost immediately in the second. Hayes opened the quarter with a three-pointer, and although Arike Ogunbowale answered to trim the score to 24-22, Golden State responded with the run that changed the entire shape of the night. Hayes hit another three, added two free throws, then Kayla Thornton drilled a three and converted a layup. In just under two minutes, the Valkyries had turned a two-point edge into a 34-24 cushion.

Dallas never found a reply before halftime. After Bueckers pulled the Wings within 38-28 with 4:22 left in the half, Golden State closed the quarter on a 20-3 burst. Cecilia Zandalasini drove for a basket and free throw at 4:03, Veronica Burton buried threes at 3:35 and 17.9 seconds, and Zandalasini kept scoring from every level, adding a step-back three at 2:29, a short pullup and free throw at 1:50, then another three at 1:23. By halftime, what had been a one-point game after one quarter was a 58-31 Golden State lead.

Three-point accuracy and ball security did the heavy lifting

The third quarter offered Dallas a chance to steady itself, but Golden State never let the margin wobble for long. Bueckers opened the half with a jumper, only for Gabby Williams to answer with a layup and free throw 16 seconds later. Thornton added a three and another layup, Zandalasini knocked down another triple at 5:30, and Janelle Salaun joined the parade from deep at 3:46. The Wings scored 25 in the quarter, but the Valkyries still won it 27-25 and carried an 85-56 lead into the fourth.

Golden State's numbers explain why this one got away so quickly. The Valkyries shot 48.6 per cent overall and 50 per cent from three, going 18-for-36 from long range. They also recorded 22 assists on 36 made field goals and committed only five total turnovers. Zandalasini led the scoring with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, Hayes had 21 on 7-for-10, and Williams added 20 while filling the stat line with four assists. Burton scored 10 and handed out five assists, Thornton added 10, and Kaitlyn Chen chipped in eight, including the final three-pointer with 18 seconds left.

Dallas did not play a completely ragged offensive game, which makes the final margin even more striking. Bueckers was superb, finishing with 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting while adding six rebounds. Maddy Siegrist scored 11, Kitija Laksa scored 11 in 15 minutes and hit three of her four attempts from deep, and Odyssey Sims delivered seven assists in 15 minutes. But the Wings made only 6 of 20 from long range, turned the ball over 10 times, and never matched the volume of Golden State's perimeter scoring. Ogunbowale was held to 10 points on 2-for-7 shooting, and Jessica Shepard went scoreless on 0-for-7 from the floor.

Our take

This game was decided by the kind of arithmetic that is hard to survive even when other parts of the box score remain respectable. Dallas shot 46.7 per cent from the field and 18-for-20 at the line, numbers that usually keep a team competitive. Golden State still ran away because it made 12 more three-pointers and protected the ball far better. That is a 36-point swing from beyond the arc alone, and the turnover gap helped the Valkyries add 15 points off Dallas mistakes while allowing only five the other way.

If there was one area for Golden State to clean up, it came after the outcome had largely been settled. The Valkyries led 95-62 with 5:46 remaining before Dallas scored 12 straight points, fueled by three consecutive Laksa threes and a Li Yueru three-point play, to trim the margin to 95-74. Golden State answered that wobble quickly enough, with Kaila Charles and Juste Jocyte each hitting a three, but the late stretch showed how quickly even a comfortable night can lose some polish.

For Dallas, the path forward is less mysterious than the score suggests. The Wings still produced 36 points in the paint and got an elite scoring line from Bueckers. What they could not afford was allowing Golden State 36 attempts from deep while also handing over 10 turnovers. Against a team shooting this well, every extra possession becomes expensive. On this night, the Valkyries cashed in almost all of them.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 9:45

   Cecilia Zandalasini makes 14-foot jumper (Veronica Burton assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 9:30

   Paige Bueckers makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jessica Shepard assists)

3. 1st Quarter · 7:47

   Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 2

4. 1st Quarter · 7:47

   Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 2 of 2

5. 1st Quarter · 7:36

   Gabby Williams makes driving layup (Veronica Burton assists)

6. 1st Quarter · 7:18

   Maddy Siegrist makes 11-foot two point shot (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

7. 1st Quarter · 7:18

   Maddy Siegrist makes free throw 1 of 1

8. 1st Quarter · 6:33

   Gabby Williams makes 23-foot three pointer (Kiah Stokes assists)

9. 1st Quarter · 6:18

   Arike Ogunbowale makes 11-foot jumper (Jessica Shepard assists)

10. 1st Quarter · 6:01

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 23-foot three point jumper (Gabby Williams assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 5:17

    Paige Bueckers makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

12. 1st Quarter · 4:07

    Gabby Williams makes 5-foot two point shot (Tiffany Hayes assists)

13. 1st Quarter · 3:47

    Tiffany Hayes makes running layup

14. 1st Quarter · 3:29

    Awak Kuier makes 4-foot layup (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

15. 1st Quarter · 2:48

    Paige Bueckers makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jessica Shepard assists)

16. 1st Quarter · 2:00

    Veronica Burton makes 9-foot fade away jump shot

17. 1st Quarter · 1:22

    Tiffany Hayes makes 22-foot three point jumper

18. 1st Quarter · 59.5

    Paige Bueckers makes 9-foot two point shot

19. 1st Quarter · 59.5

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 1

20. 1st Quarter · 46.3

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup (Veronica Burton assists)

21. 2nd Quarter · 9:20

    Tiffany Hayes makes 24-foot three pointer

22. 2nd Quarter · 8:55

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 14-foot step back jumpshot

23. 2nd Quarter · 8:26

    Tiffany Hayes makes 26-foot three point jumper (Kayla Thornton assists)

24. 2nd Quarter · 8:00

    Paige Bueckers makes 11-foot pullup jump shot

25. 2nd Quarter · 7:48

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2

26. 2nd Quarter · 7:48

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2

27. 2nd Quarter · 7:23

    Kayla Thornton makes 24-foot running jump shot (Tiffany Hayes assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 7:01

    Kayla Thornton makes running layup (Gabby Williams assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 6:28

    Paige Bueckers makes 11-foot fade away jump shot

30. 2nd Quarter · 6:02

    Gabby Williams makes driving layup

31. 2nd Quarter · 4:57

    Gabby Williams makes 11-foot turnaround jump shot

32. 2nd Quarter · 4:22

    Paige Bueckers makes 9-foot two point shot

33. 2nd Quarter · 4:03

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes driving layup (Kiah Stokes assists)

34. 2nd Quarter · 4:03

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 1 of 1

35. 2nd Quarter · 3:35

    Veronica Burton makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot

36. 2nd Quarter · 3:03

    Gabby Williams makes 18-foot pullup jump shot

37. 2nd Quarter · 2:29

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot (Gabby Williams assists)

38. 2nd Quarter · 2:12

    Maddy Siegrist makes 11-foot pullup jump shot (Paige Bueckers assists)

39. 2nd Quarter · 1:50

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 7-foot pullup jump shot

40. 2nd Quarter · 1:50

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 1 of 1

41. 2nd Quarter · 1:35

    Maddy Siegrist makes free throw 2 of 2

42. 2nd Quarter · 1:23

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 24-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)

43. 2nd Quarter · 17.9

    Veronica Burton makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot

44. 3rd Quarter · 9:45

    Paige Bueckers makes 20-foot jumper (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

45. 3rd Quarter · 9:29

    Gabby Williams makes driving layup (Cecilia Zandalasini assists)

46. 3rd Quarter · 9:29

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 1

47. 3rd Quarter · 8:13

    Kayla Thornton makes 24-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)

48. 3rd Quarter · 7:35

    Kayla Thornton makes driving layup (Gabby Williams assists)

49. 3rd Quarter · 7:20

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 2

50. 3rd Quarter · 7:20

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 2 of 2

51. 3rd Quarter · 6:20

    Maddy Siegrist makes 24-foot three point jumper (Paige Bueckers assists)

52. 3rd Quarter · 6:05

    Veronica Burton makes free throw 1 of 2

53. 3rd Quarter · 6:05

    Veronica Burton makes free throw 2 of 2

54. 3rd Quarter · 5:54

    Paige Bueckers makes 14-foot pullup jump shot

55. 3rd Quarter · 5:30

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot

56. 3rd Quarter · 5:12

    Maddy Siegrist makes driving layup

57. 3rd Quarter · 4:48

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 1 of 3

58. 3rd Quarter · 4:48

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw 3 of 3

59. 3rd Quarter · 3:59

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 2

60. 3rd Quarter · 3:59

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 2 of 2

61. 3rd Quarter · 3:46

    Janelle Salaun makes 25-foot three point jumper (Kaitlyn Chen assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 3:31

    Kiah Stokes makes free throw 1 of 2

63. 3rd Quarter · 3:31

    Kiah Stokes makes free throw 2 of 2

64. 3rd Quarter · 3:18

    Aziaha James makes free throw 1 of 2

65. 3rd Quarter · 3:18

    Aziaha James makes free throw 2 of 2

66. 3rd Quarter · 2:58

    Aziaha James makes free throw 1 of 2

67. 3rd Quarter · 2:46

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2

68. 3rd Quarter · 2:46

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2

69. 3rd Quarter · 2:46

    Odyssey Sims makes free throw 1 of 1

70. 3rd Quarter · 2:32

    Aziaha James makes driving layup (Odyssey Sims assists)

71. 3rd Quarter · 2:16

    Kaitlyn Chen makes 25-foot three point jumper (Tiffany Hayes assists)

72. 3rd Quarter · 1:36

    Li Yueru makes driving layup (Odyssey Sims assists)

73. 3rd Quarter · 1:19

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup

74. 3rd Quarter · 1:06

    Alysha Clark makes 3-foot layup (Aziaha James assists)

75. 3rd Quarter · 36.8

    Alysha Clark makes 2-foot layup (Aziaha James assists)

76. 4th Quarter · 9:40

    Kaitlyn Chen makes 7-foot driving floating jump shot (Aminata Gueye assists)

77. 4th Quarter · 8:23

    Aminata Gueye makes driving layup (Kaitlyn Chen assists)

78. 4th Quarter · 7:38

    Gabby Williams makes 24-foot three point jumper (Aminata Gueye assists)

79. 4th Quarter · 7:17

    Aziaha James makes driving layup

80. 4th Quarter · 6:58

    Odyssey Sims makes running layup (Alysha Clark assists)

81. 4th Quarter · 6:21

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2

82. 4th Quarter · 6:03

    Li Yueru makes free throw 1 of 2

83. 4th Quarter · 6:03

    Li Yueru makes free throw 2 of 2

84. 4th Quarter · 5:46

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup

85. 4th Quarter · 5:36

    Kitija Laksa makes 27-foot three point jumper (Odyssey Sims assists)

86. 4th Quarter · 5:03

    Kitija Laksa makes 25-foot three point jumper (Odyssey Sims assists)

87. 4th Quarter · 4:34

    Kitija Laksa makes 25-foot three point jumper (Odyssey Sims assists)

88. 4th Quarter · 4:09

    Li Yueru makes 2-foot layup (Odyssey Sims assists)

89. 4th Quarter · 4:09

    Li Yueru makes free throw 1 of 1

90. 4th Quarter · 3:28

    Kaila Charles makes 23-foot three point jumper (Tiffany Hayes assists)

91. 4th Quarter · 2:53

    Juste Jocyte makes 24-foot three point jumper (Kaila Charles assists)

92. 4th Quarter · 2:33

    Kitija Laksa makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Odyssey Sims assists)

93. 4th Quarter · 1:04

    Odyssey Sims makes free throw 1 of 2

94. 4th Quarter · 1:04

    Odyssey Sims makes free throw 2 of 2

95. 4th Quarter · 34.3

    Odyssey Sims makes 7-foot two point shot

96. 4th Quarter · 18.0

    Kaitlyn Chen makes 25-foot three pointer