Arike Ogunbowale’s 45 points lead the Wings past the Valkyries in Game 2, 108–100

Game story

Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 45 points on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-8 from three), 16-of-18 at the line in 42 minutes as the Dallas Wings beat the Golden State Valkyries 108–100 on Wednesday, September 30. Game 2 of the first round, and the best-of-three series is tied 1–1, with a deciding game to come.

Game Highlights

Golden State Valkyries vs. Dallas Wings | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | September 30, 2026

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Who stood out

Arike Ogunbowale: 45 points on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-8 from three), 16-of-18 at the line in 42 minutes, a +2 in her minutes. By the observed shot locations, 4-of-7 in the paint outside the restricted area, 5-of-7 from above the break and 3-of-5 at the rim. She entered averaging 15.3 points this season; this finish was 29.7 above that mark. She had averaged 17.4 over her previous 10, putting this game 27.6 above that recent pace; that recent average was already 2.1 above her season mark.

Gabby Williams: 36 points and 7 assists on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-12 from three), 7-of-7 at the line in 37 minutes, a -9 in her minutes. By the observed shot locations, 5-of-12 from above the break, 3-of-5 in the paint outside the restricted area and 2-of-4 from midrange. She entered averaging 14.5 points this season; this finish was 21.6 above that mark. She had averaged 13 over her previous 10, putting this game 23 above that recent pace.

How it happened

It did not start that way: the Valkyries led 26–23 after one quarter and by as many as 8. The second quarter was the swing — the Wings won it 27–19 — and they led 50–45 at halftime. The game had 15 lead changes; the Wings’ largest lead was 8.

The Wings’ bench outscored the Valkyries’, 39–35. For the Valkyries, Gabby Williams scored 36 (12-of-23) and Kaila Charles 14 (5-of-7).

The Wings made 32-64 from the field (50%) and 12-23 from three; the Valkyries 34-73 (47%). Turnovers ran 13–12, and points off turnovers 13–16 in the Valkyries’ favor — the margin came from shooting, not possession control. Rebounds went 29–29, points in the paint 34–32.

What it means

A reason to be cautious about carrying this game forward: Arike Ogunbowale’s previous-10 average (17.4) already sat 2.1 above her season mark, so against recent form the game is a smaller outlier than the season averages make it look; the Wings gave up more points off turnovers than they scored, 16–13. One game is still one game.

The Wings came into the series as the No. 7 seed and the Valkyries as the No. 2; the lower seed has the early edge.

This did not come against one of the league’s softest defenses: the Valkyries allow 75.1 points a game (standings as of Oct 2), 15th-most of 15.