Ogunbowale’s 45 points lift Wings to deciding Game 3

The Dallas Wings defeated the Golden State Valkyries 108-100 in overtime on September 30, tying their first-round playoff series 1-1 and forcing a deciding Game 3. Arike Ogunbowale scored 45 points, setting a WNBA playoff single-game scoring record, as Dallas avoided elimination after losing the series opener. Ogunbowale’s three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 93 and sent the game to overtime. She added 11 points in the extra period, when Dallas outscored Golden State 15-8. Her 45-point total surpassed the previous playoff record of 42, set by Angel McCoughtry in 2010 and later matched by other players, according to the supplied game accounts. Golden State had won Game 1, 104-80, and was one victory from advancing. In Game 2, Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with a career-high 36 points, but the team could not preserve its advantage late in regulation or contain Dallas in overtime. The Valkyries did not score in the final two minutes of the extra period. Williams said after the game that Golden State’s energy and defensive effort had fallen short.