Valkyries finish on 10-1 burst to erase 16-point Dallas lead in 77-73 win

Dallas controlled the first two swings

For long stretches, this looked like a Dallas result. The Wings led 19-14 after the first quarter and opened their first real separation with an 11-4 burst in the opening period. Arike Ogunbowale drove that early edge, scoring nine first-quarter points, while Awak Kuier and Jessica Shepard finished around the basket to push Dallas in front 11-4 with 4:19 left in the quarter.

Dallas stretched the margin again early in the second. Paige Bueckers hit two free throws for a 26-17 lead at 7:31, and the Wings still looked in command even after Golden State responded. Three flagrant free throws from Cecilia Zandalasini cut the gap to four, Veronica Burton helped drive the Valkyries briefly ahead 37-33, and then Dallas slammed the half shut. The Wings scored the final 11 points before the break, with Ogunbowale and Bueckers accounting for all of them, to take a 44-37 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter brought Dallas's biggest cushion and Golden State's clearest warning sign. Bueckers opened the half with two more free throws, Shepard added a layup, and Ogunbowale kept rolling until the Wings were up 55-40 with 4:54 left in the period. That was the night's largest lead. Golden State, however, refused to let the score get away completely. Burton hit from deep, Hayes scored at the rim, and Williams drilled two late three-pointers as the Valkyries trimmed the deficit to 59-54 by the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter finally tilted

Dallas still had the game on its terms to begin the fourth. Shepard scored the first basket of the quarter and then another jumper at 7:53 for a 63-59 lead. Golden State answered with the kind of quick-strike outside shooting it had lacked earlier. Hayes hit a step-back three at 9:13, Williams added another from 24 feet at 7:18, and Kaila Charles tied the game 65-65 with a 25-footer at 6:51.

From there, the lead started moving for real. Burton's driving layup at 4:56 put Golden State ahead 67-65, its first lead since the second quarter. Dallas did not fold. Ogunbowale buried a 29-foot three-pointer at 4:33, made two free throws at 3:58 and followed with a floating jumper at 3:13 to restore a 72-67 Wings lead. At that point, Dallas had its closer in rhythm and a five-point edge with just over three minutes left.

The finish belonged entirely to the Valkyries. Charles scored with 2:14 remaining, Williams added a driving layup at 1:40, then knocked down a pullup jumper at 1:17 for a 73-72 lead. After Alysha Clark split a late trip to the line for Dallas, Williams sealed it by hitting four free throws in the final 9.6 seconds. She finished with 19 points, but the timing of her last eight mattered as much as the total. Burton's line was nearly as influential: 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Hayes scored 18 and Charles added 10 off the bench. Kiah Stokes quietly gave Golden State a strong interior night with 13 rebounds and three blocks.

Our take: extra possessions rescued a rough shooting night

Golden State won this game while shooting just 35.1 per cent from the field, which usually points the wrong way. The Valkyries made that percentage survivable by creating more chances than Dallas. They attempted 77 shots to the Wings' 59, grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, and committed only six total turnovers. That combination matters more than one cold shooting line, because it keeps putting the ball back in play until the math changes.

Dallas had enough star production to win anyway. Ogunbowale poured in 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting, Bueckers scored 17 despite a 3-of-14 night from the floor by going 10-for-10 at the foul line, and Shepard produced a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. But the Wings generated only 13 assists on 26 field goals, hit five three-pointers all night, and scored just 14 points in the fourth quarter. Most tellingly, after Ogunbowale made it 72-67 with 3:13 left, Dallas managed only one more point.

That is the part both teams should remember. Golden State showed that a game can be recovered with rebounding, ball security and enough perimeter shooting to stay close until the final possession starts to matter. Dallas, which led by 16 points and held the advantage for 77 per cent of the night, showed how little margin remains when the late offence stalls. The Wings were the sharper shooting team; the Valkyries were the team that kept manufacturing one more chance, and by the end that was the difference.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 7:48

   Arike Ogunbowale makes two point shot

2. 1st Quarter · 7:48

   Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 1

3. 1st Quarter · 7:08

   Kiah Stokes makes 4-foot layup (Veronica Burton assists)

4. 1st Quarter · 6:46

   Paige Bueckers makes technical free throw

5. 1st Quarter · 6:38

   Gabby Williams makes running layup

6. 1st Quarter · 5:32

   Awak Kuier makes 4-foot two point shot (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

7. 1st Quarter · 4:51

   Arike Ogunbowale makes 22-foot three point step back jumpshot (Paige Bueckers assists)

8. 1st Quarter · 4:19

   Awak Kuier makes 5-foot layup (Jessica Shepard assists)

9. 1st Quarter · 3:59

   Cecilia Zandalasini makes 8-foot two point shot

10. 1st Quarter · 3:44

    Jessica Shepard makes driving layup

11. 1st Quarter · 3:19

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup

12. 1st Quarter · 2:51

    Jessica Shepard makes layup (Paige Bueckers assists)

13. 1st Quarter · 2:34

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup (Kayla Thornton assists)

14. 1st Quarter · 1:29

    Janelle Salaun makes 23-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)

15. 1st Quarter · 1:00

    Aziaha James makes 18-foot pullup jump shot (Paige Bueckers assists)

16. 1st Quarter · 51.2

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2

17. 1st Quarter · 27.1

    Alysha Clark makes 5-foot layup (Odyssey Sims assists)

18. 2nd Quarter · 9:44

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

19. 2nd Quarter · 9:17

    Odyssey Sims makes 27-foot three point jumper (Jessica Shepard assists)

20. 2nd Quarter · 7:57

    Arike Ogunbowale makes running layup (Odyssey Sims assists)

21. 2nd Quarter · 7:31

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 2

22. 2nd Quarter · 7:31

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 2 of 2

23. 2nd Quarter · 7:16

    Veronica Burton makes 4-foot two point shot (Cecilia Zandalasini assists)

24. 2nd Quarter · 6:36

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw flagrant 1 of 3

25. 2nd Quarter · 6:36

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw flagrant 2 of 3

26. 2nd Quarter · 6:36

    Cecilia Zandalasini makes free throw flagrant 3 of 3

27. 2nd Quarter · 6:06

    Awak Kuier makes layup (Arike Ogunbowale assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 5:41

    Kiah Stokes makes layup (Cecilia Zandalasini assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 4:50

    Veronica Burton makes 3-foot two point shot

30. 2nd Quarter · 4:50

    Veronica Burton makes free throw 1 of 1

31. 2nd Quarter · 4:38

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 25-foot three point jumper (Paige Bueckers assists)

32. 2nd Quarter · 4:17

    Tiffany Hayes makes 26-foot three point jumper (Kiah Stokes assists)

33. 2nd Quarter · 3:47

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup (Gabby Williams assists)

34. 2nd Quarter · 3:47

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 1

35. 2nd Quarter · 3:32

    Paige Bueckers makes 10-foot jumper

36. 2nd Quarter · 3:22

    Veronica Burton makes driving layup

37. 2nd Quarter · 2:18

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 2

38. 2nd Quarter · 2:18

    Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2

39. 2nd Quarter · 1:59

    Paige Bueckers makes 9-foot driving floating jump shot

40. 2nd Quarter · 1:59

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 1

41. 2nd Quarter · 1:23

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Paige Bueckers assists)

42. 2nd Quarter · 57.8

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 13-foot fade away jump shot

43. 2nd Quarter · 35.3

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 2

44. 2nd Quarter · 35.3

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 2 of 2

45. 2nd Quarter · 2.8

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 16-foot pullup jump shot

46. 3rd Quarter · 8:09

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 2

47. 3rd Quarter · 8:09

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 2 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 7:20

    Jessica Shepard makes driving layup

49. 3rd Quarter · 6:47

    Paige Bueckers makes 27-foot three pointer

50. 3rd Quarter · 6:02

    Arike Ogunbowale makes driving layup

51. 3rd Quarter · 5:38

    Veronica Burton makes 26-foot three point step back jumpshot (Kaila Charles assists)

52. 3rd Quarter · 4:54

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 2

53. 3rd Quarter · 4:54

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 2 of 2

54. 3rd Quarter · 3:00

    Tiffany Hayes makes driving layup (Veronica Burton assists)

55. 3rd Quarter · 2:36

    Gabby Williams makes 27-foot three point jumper (Veronica Burton assists)

56. 3rd Quarter · 1:57

    Veronica Burton makes 11-foot turnaround jump shot

57. 3rd Quarter · 1:37

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 1 of 2

58. 3rd Quarter · 1:37

    Paige Bueckers makes free throw 2 of 2

59. 3rd Quarter · 1:20

    Kiah Stokes makes tip shot

60. 3rd Quarter · 47.2

    Kaila Charles makes free throw 1 of 2

61. 3rd Quarter · 47.2

    Kaila Charles makes free throw 2 of 2

62. 3rd Quarter · 19.7

    Gabby Williams makes 28-foot three point jumper (Kiah Stokes assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 1.3

    Jessica Shepard makes layup

64. 4th Quarter · 9:43

    Jessica Shepard makes 10-foot driving floating jump shot

65. 4th Quarter · 9:13

    Tiffany Hayes makes 26-foot three point step back jumpshot (Veronica Burton assists)

66. 4th Quarter · 8:19

    Veronica Burton makes driving layup

67. 4th Quarter · 7:53

    Jessica Shepard makes 17-foot two point shot

68. 4th Quarter · 7:18

    Gabby Williams makes 24-foot three point jumper (Tiffany Hayes assists)

69. 4th Quarter · 6:59

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 12-foot driving floating jump shot (Paige Bueckers assists)

70. 4th Quarter · 6:51

    Kaila Charles makes 25-foot three point jumper (Gabby Williams assists)

71. 4th Quarter · 4:56

    Veronica Burton makes running layup (Kiah Stokes assists)

72. 4th Quarter · 4:33

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 29-foot three point jumper (Awak Kuier assists)

73. 4th Quarter · 3:58

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 1 of 2

74. 4th Quarter · 3:58

    Arike Ogunbowale makes free throw 2 of 2

75. 4th Quarter · 3:13

    Arike Ogunbowale makes 13-foot driving floating jump shot

76. 4th Quarter · 2:14

    Kaila Charles makes two point shot

77. 4th Quarter · 1:40

    Gabby Williams makes driving layup

78. 4th Quarter · 1:17

    Gabby Williams makes 17-foot pullup jump shot (Veronica Burton assists)

79. 4th Quarter · 9.6

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 2

80. 4th Quarter · 9.6

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2

81. 4th Quarter · 7.7

    Alysha Clark makes free throw 2 of 2

82. 4th Quarter · 6.9

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 1 of 2

83. 4th Quarter · 6.9

    Gabby Williams makes free throw 2 of 2