Valkyries fall in OT as Wings' Ogunbowale scores 45 to force Game 3 at Chase

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Golden State Valkyries oppressive defense had a momentary lapse. That bit of breathing room was all Arike Ogunbowale needed to put together one of the best playoff performances in WNBA history.

Ogunbowale was operating with desperation. Her Dallas Wings were facing elimination at home on Wednesday, and the Valkyries had their way with the No. 7 seed in Game 1. She poured 45 points on a Valkyries defense that prides itself on stifling anyone in its path. Her 45 points are the most scored in any playoff game in WNBA history, beating the record by three points.

Each point was needed in a wire-to-wire overtime game the Wings claimed 108-100 at College Park Center, tying the first-round series 1-1 with a deciding Game 3 to be played Friday night at Chase Center.

"I think our energy was different," Golden State 's Gabby William s said. "I didn't recognize us tonight. I don't think any of us did."

Here are takeaways from the Valkyries' loss.

Defensive lapse: The Valkyries appeared to ramp up the pressure early, picking up where it left off from Game 1. Williams picked up Paige Bueckers full court, mucking up the Wings' spacing and forcing a handful of turnovers early.

3-Point Goals: 12-27, .444 (G.Williams 5-12, Thornton 3-4, Burton 2-4, Charles 1-2, Zandalasini 1-2, Salaun 0-3).

Turnovers: 10 (Hayes 3, G.Williams 2, Burton, Charles, Salaun, Thornton, Zandalasini).

Steals: 8 (G.Williams 4, Burton 2, Zandalasini 2).

3-Point Goals: 12-23, .522 (Ogunbowale 5-8, Clark 3-4, James 2-3, Kuier 1-2, Bueckers 1-4, Siegrist 0-1, Sims 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 15. Team Turnovers: None.

Turnovers: 13 (Ogunbowale 5, Shepard 3, Kuier 2, Bueckers, James, Siegrist).

Steals: 6 (Ogunbowale 3, Bueckers 2, James).

But then the Wings started to pick up their pace and the Valkyries' were late reacting, resulting in lackluster defense and 28 fouls committed on their end. The 108 points are the most points Golden State has allowed in franchise history and the 93 points in regulation are a season high.

"I didn't recognize us, but more importantly we don't give up 108 points," head coach Natalie Nakase said. "That's just completely uncalled for. I have to do better. I have to do better in terms of getting on them quicker. I can communicate and make more of timeouts quicker."

Any defensive lapse can prove fatal for the Valkyries. That is their identity. Without a star scorer, their league-best defense is what separates them from the herd.

The Wings got Bueckers off the ball and recently-named Most Improved Player Jessica Shepard, and others, take the ball up. A porous perimeter - which Golden State usually has on lock - opened up driving lanes for Ogunbowale, who got aggressive and confident early on.

Ogunbowale finished the first half with a team-high 16 points and took off from there, finishing 12-for-23 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Eleven of those points came in overtime.

Her biggest shot came with the Valkyries up three in the final 14 seconds of regulation when she drained rainbow over Kayla Thornton 's outstretched arms, reminiscent of the National Championship game-winning fadeaway 3-pointer she hit for Notre Dame in 2018. It was a far cry from her 10-point performance in Game 1.

"We just felt like we got pushed around out there when we played in San Francisco," Ogunbowale said. "I didn't feel like I was aggressive. … I just think I was being really passive and wasn't playing my game."

Nakase called Ogunbowale's game "brilliant," but after the loss fixated on how the Valkyries could have forced her to her weaker side.

"We know she likes that step back left, so that's what was really frustrating," Nakase said. "We know she likes to step back left, and we didn't get to it. We didn't force her to the right."

The Valkyries got into some foul trouble early on - Veronica Burton and Kaila Charles fouled out in overtime - and Ogunbowale was the beneficiary. She went to the line 18 times and made 16 free throws. The Wings were 32-for-37 from the line while Golden State was 20-for-23.

Dallas' bench filled the gaps. Alysha Clark and Aziaha James were the primary scorers other than Ogunbowale. Clark chipped in 21 points and James 13. Bueckers went quiet, scoring 10 points.

From a grueling overtime loss Golden State can perhaps find solace in the nature of the outcome. It took a historic performance and an overtime fight for Dallas to notch their first win of the year against Golden State. Ogunbowale's performance will be difficult to replicate.

Williams and bench: The Valkyries kept up because Williams was aggressive early looking for her shot. She created her own offense primarily and scored 18 points by the half and led the team with 36 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field. She shot 5-for-12 from 3.

Thornton along with key bench contributions helped drive the second-half push. The Valkyries reclaimed the lead behind Thornton, who scored seven points in the third quarter's first few minutes and took a hard foul doing it.

Charles locked in toward the end of the frame, making a 3 and a driving layup at the buzzer to get the Valkyries a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

But the Valkyries couldn't get enough scoring from anyone other than Williams to overcome a confident Ogunbowale.