WNBA playoffs: Valkyries come back from down 16 vs. Wings to win first playoff series in franchise history

Because they're a recent expansion team, we can safely say that was the greatest game in Golden State Valkyries history.The No. 2-seeded Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit and nail-biter finish to win a winner-take-all Game 3, 77-73, against the Dallas Wings in the first round of the WNBA playoffs on Friday. It is the first playoff series win in the Valkyries' two-year history.Their reward will be a semifinals series against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who survived their own three-game series against the Indiana Fever in the first round.VALKYRIES TAKE DOWN THE WINGS IN DRAMATIC FASHION TO REACH THEIR FIRST-EVER SEMIFINALS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/23AqpU8A4K— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 3, 2026 Golden State found itself in dire straits after a 20-0 Wings run between the second half of the second quarter and the start of the third. Arike Ogunbowale, a record-setting nightmare for Golden State in Game 2, followed up her 45 points with 30 more on Friday.The All-Star guard was at one point limping off the court with an apparent groin or thigh injury, but Ogunbowale came back within a few minutes and continued to spark Dallas' offense.The Valkyries erased most of the deficit with a 12-2 run to close the third quarter, setting up a back-and-forth fourth quarter in which the Valkyries gained the lead, lost it then got it back for good.GABBY WILLIAMS AND VERONICA BURTON 🎯These triples cut the deficit, and the @valkyries are now on a 7-0 run with 1:37 left in the 3Q!DAL-GSV | ESPN2 | 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel | @madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/PAuNp2F5xA— WNBA (@WNBA) October 3, 2026 Top scorer Gabby Williams had only two points in the first half, but finished with a team-high 19 after coming alive down the stretch, which included two free throws to clinch the win."I was not good tonight but my teammates just kept telling me to keep my head up and that allowed me to get going in the fourth," Williams told ESPN after the game.Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes were pivotal in holding down the Wings' offense and both finished with double-digit rebounds, along with a team-high six assists from Burton and three blocks by Stokes. Tiffany Hayes and Kaila Charles also both scored in double digits off the bench.There was one concerning moment on the Golden State sideline in the final two minutes, when head coach Natalie Nakase collapsed while in a heated discussion with an official and had to be helped to the bench. She was in clear discomfort, but was soon drawing up plays in the huddle.Catch up on all the highlights from Wings-Valkyries Game 3 in San Francisco: