Valkyries erase 16-point deficit, beat Wings for first playoff series win

The Golden State Valkyries won the first playoff series in franchise history Friday, October 2, beating the Dallas Wings 77-73 in the deciding Game 3 of their WNBA first-round series. It was a comeback, not a wire-to-wire closeout: Dallas led 53-37 during the third quarter before Golden State took control late at Chase Center.

Gabby Williams scored 19 points and made the go-ahead 17-foot jumper with 1:17 remaining, according to the WNBA's game recap. She scored 17 of her 19 after halftime. Veronica Burton supplied 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, giving Golden State another way to recover when its offense had gone cold. The Valkyries missed their first nine shots of the third quarter while Dallas made its run.

A comeback built after the break

Dallas did not disappear when the lead vanished. Arike Ogunbowale scored 30 points after her 45-point Game 2, and her jumper with 3:13 left put the Wings up five. Golden State's late possessions and a successful challenge with 13.1 seconds remaining helped finish the turnaround. Paige Bueckers scored 17 for Dallas but went 3-for-14 from the field. The series ends 2-1 in Golden State's favor.

Golden State now hosts the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of a best-of-five semifinal Sunday, October 4. Las Vegas reached the round by eliminating Indiana behind A'ja Wilson's 36 points in its own deciding game. The matchup is set; a single comeback does not settle how the next series will play out. What Friday did establish is that Golden State can survive a poor stretch and still close an elimination game against a high-scoring opponent.