Valkyries vs Wings: Arike Ogunbowale’s playoff record 45 forces a Game 3, and the No. 8 Liberty knock out the No. 1 Lynx

Valkyries vs Wings is going the distance. Arike Ogunbowale scored 45 points, the most by any player in a single WNBA playoff game, as the No. 7 Dallas Wings beat the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries 108-100 in overtime at College Park Center in Arlington on Wednesday night. The series is tied 1-1, and a deciding Game 3 tips on Friday in San Francisco.

It was the wildest night of a first round that has already produced an upset the league had never seen before. The No. 8 New York Liberty swept the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, the Atlanta Dream finished off the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, and Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever forced their own Game 3 against the Las Vegas Aces. Here is how it all happened, and when each team plays next.

How Ogunbowale dragged Dallas into overtime

Dallas had lost Game 1 by 24 points, 104-80, and looked done again late in regulation. With 4.1 seconds left, Ogunbowale rose for an off balance three from the corner and tied it at 93-93, according to the Associated Press recap. Golden State’s last shot fell short and the game went to overtime.

The extra period belonged to her. She banked in a three to open it and hit another to put Dallas up 103-100 with 1:46 left, per the AP, and the Wings won the overtime 15-7 according to ESPN’s box score. She finished 12 of 23 from the field and 16 of 18 from the free throw line.

The old record was 42, shared by Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry, as Yahoo Sports noted. Ogunbowale now holds it alone.

Golden State’s Gabby Williams was brilliant too, with 36 points on 12 of 23 shooting, six rebounds and seven assists. For Dallas, the AP credited Alysha Clark with 21 points, while Paige Bueckers had a quiet postseason debut with 10 points on 3 of 13 shooting.

Key numbers: Wings 108, Valkyries 100 (OT)

Source: ESPN box score. The free throw line decided it. Dallas made 12 more free throws than Golden State, and Ogunbowale alone went 16 of 18 from the line.

The Liberty make history against the Lynx

On Tuesday at Barclays Center, the Liberty beat Minnesota 87-71 to complete a 2-0 sweep. Jonquel Jones led them with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and the AP credited Breanna Stewart with 21 and Sabrina Ionescu with 18. According to the AP, New York are the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30 year history. We had flagged Game 2 as Minnesota’s elimination night in our Game 2 preview, and the Liberty never let the top seed settle.

Dream sweep the Mystics, Clark keeps the Fever alive

Atlanta won 93-75 in Washington on Wednesday to close out their series 2-0. ESPN reported that Allisha Gray led the way with 22 points, Jordin Canada added 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, and all five Dream starters reached double figures. It is Atlanta’s first semifinal since 2018. Sonia Citron scored 25 for the Mystics.

In Indianapolis on Tuesday, the Fever beat the Aces 99-89 to level their series. Clark had 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds before fouling out with 2:45 left, and Yahoo Sports reported she is the first player in league history with at least 25 points and 15 assists in a game. Kelsey Mitchell (26) and Aliyah Boston (22) closed it out. Jackie Young scored 31 for Las Vegas.

First round results so far

• No. 8 Liberty vs No. 1 Lynx: 91-75, 87-71. Liberty win 2-0.
• No. 4 Dream vs No. 5 Mystics: 92-77, 93-75. Dream win 2-0.
• No. 3 Aces vs No. 6 Fever: Aces 102-85, Fever 99-89. Tied 1-1.
• No. 2 Valkyries vs No. 7 Wings: Valkyries 104-80, Wings 108-100 (OT). Tied 1-1.

What’s next: Game 3 times and the semifinals

• Aces vs Fever, Game 3: Thursday, October 1, 9pm ET on USA, in Las Vegas.
• Valkyries vs Wings, Game 3: Friday, October 2, 9pm ET on ESPN2, in San Francisco.
• Semifinals: the Dream host the Liberty in Games 1 and 2, starting Sunday, October 4. The league had not announced tip times when we published. The Valkyries vs Wings winner meets the Aces vs Fever winner in the other semifinal.

Quick explainer for casual fans: first round series are best of three, so a Game 3 is winner takes all. Golden State host it because they finished higher in the standings, which is why Dallas had to win in Arlington just to get there.

Sources

• ESPN: Valkyries vs Wings Game 2 box score
• Associated Press recap of Wings vs Valkyries
• Yahoo Sports on Ogunbowale’s record
• ESPN: Dream sweep the Mystics, Wings force Game 3
• AP via ABC News: Liberty sweep the Lynx
• Yahoo Sports: Fever beat Aces to force Game 3
• CBS Sports: 2026 WNBA playoffs bracket and schedule
• ESPN: WNBA playoffs 2026 schedule