Arike Ogunbowale Makes WNBA Playoff History With 45 Points


 

Arike Ogunbowale had 23 points through three quarters Wednesday night. She scored 11 in the fourth quarter, hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, and scored 11 more in overtime.

Arike Ogunbowale Dallas Wings, 2026 WNBA Playoffs
Photo credit: Jo’Anna Davis, Ballislife

Her 45 points set the WNBA record for a playoff game. The Dallas Wings beat the Golden State Valkyries 108-100 at a sold-out College Park Center to even their best-of-three first-round series at 1-1, and the deciding Game 3 is Friday in San Francisco.

Ogunbowale shot 12-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and 16-of-18 from the free-throw line. She added 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. According to the Wings, she is the seventh player in WNBA postseason history to score 40 or more points in a game.

The previous playoff record was 42 points, reached three times, most recently by Napheesa Collier. Teammates said things to Ogunbowale at the free-throw line as her total climbed, but she was not chasing a number. By the fourth quarter, all of it was out the window.

“Honestly, not much,” Ogunbowale said of the record. “Obviously, it’s special. There’s so many great players to come through. But we have to do something in the playoffs. I can have that and we get put out, and it really doesn’t mean anything. It’s always a blessing, and obviously I thank God. Anytime you can reach a milestone or get some type of something, that’s great. But winning is more important.”

The Tying 3-Pointer With 4.1 Seconds Left

Golden State led 74-72 after three quarters. Paige Bueckers shot 3-of-13 and finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 43 minutes.

Dallas trailed by three in the final seconds of regulation before Ogunbowale’s 3-pointer tied the game at 93. Wings coach Jose Fernandez said the communication between his players and the accountability they had for one another were how Dallas closed it out.

“I thought she got to the free-throw line,” Fernandez said. “She got downhill and was very aggressive. At the end there, [we] were down three and got that on the sideline out of bounds, set a flare, and she caught it. She was comfortable on that side of the floor in front of our bench because she can get into her step-back. That was a big shot.”

Golden State entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed after a 32-12 regular season. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said she has to get on her players quicker and demand more out of timeouts.

“I didn’t want to foul,” Nakase said. “Like we do a good job. I mean, I think making sure we’re contesting and then finishing with the rebound. Again, usually we’re solid, especially in regulation. But I saw a little bit of hesitation. And so that’s why I’m like, are we not clear with our delivery and the timeouts? If that’s the case, I don’t want any hesitation. I don’t want any hesitation.

“And to make sure, again, we contest,” Nakase continued. “We just don’t want to give up three. We gave up the three. But we also know that she lunges forward. So we just have to be careful. So credit to Rike. She made a tough shot.”

11 Points in Overtime

Dallas outscored Golden State 15-7 in the extra period. Ogunbowale scored 11 of the 15. According to the Wings, that tied Lindsay Whalen for the most points in a postseason overtime period in league history.

The Wings went 32-of-37 from the free-throw line. Ogunbowale’s 16 makes were half of that total.

Golden State’s identity is defense, Nakase said, and the Valkyries had been allowing points in the 70s. She said the 37 free-throw attempts might be a record against them.

“Arike likes that left step-back,” Nakase explained. “So, again, we just have to make sure we take that away. And then when she’s rolling, we have to respond. We have to maybe throw more bodies at her. But, no, she did a hell of a job in terms of performance. Obviously, she drew a ton of fouls. So we just have to be smart. We got to play smarter. Sometimes it’s not even just playing it, like, harder. We got to play smarter.”

After Game 1 in San Francisco

Golden State swept the three-game regular-season series and won Game 1 on Sunday in San Francisco. Fernandez said Bueckers virtually carried Dallas in that game, and the Wings rested players once it got out of hand.

Emotions get high in playoff basketball, and the game gets physical.

“We just wanted to come out with a different intensity,” Ogunbowale explained. “We felt like we got pushed around out there when we played in San Francisco, and especially me personally, I don’t feel like I was aggressive. I don’t feel like I was trying to get to the hole. I was being really passive and wasn’t playing my game. So I wanted to come out and be really, really aggressive.

“I didn’t know what I would score; I just knew I was going to shoot regardless, because seven shots isn’t enough to win in the playoffs,” Ogunbowale continued. “I have to be aggressive, whether it’s going in or not. We have rebounders. I just have to be aggressive, and that was my mindset for this game.”

Alysha Clark Off the Bench

Alysha Clark scored 21 points, which tied her postseason career best, according to the Wings. She shot 6-of-7 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Aziaha James, a second-year guard, scored a playoff career-high 13 points in 18 minutes. Fernandez said Clark and James relieved pressure off the bench by giving Dallas different players to bring the ball up the floor.

Clark has played plenty of win-or-go-home games throughout her career. She’s a three-time WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces. 

“I feel like what I’ve done the entirety of my career is just stay ready,” Clark said. “I learned early on, when I was the last player on the bench, that when your opportunity comes, you have to be ready. The way that I prepare and study doesn’t change, regardless of whether I’m playing no minutes or 30 minutes. I prepare the same way.

“The season has been up and down, but I know what I’m capable of and the value that I bring,” Clark continued. “I knew at some point they were going to need that, our team was going to need that. So tonight I just did what I’ve always done and made sure I was ready for the moment, helping us wherever we needed. I’m really proud of that.”

Dallas Wings, 2026 WNBA Playoffs
Photo credit: Jo’Anna Davis, Ballislife

Gabby Williams’ 36 Points

Gabby Williams scored 36 points with 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals in 37 minutes. Five Valkyries scored in double figures. Fernandez said Clark challenged Williams and guarded her.

Some confusion on defense led to easy Golden State baskets, Clark said, and Dallas cannot afford those slip-ups in the Valkyries’ building.

“I’m always going to say there’s room for improvement, but at the end of the day, you’re never going to stop somebody,” Clark explained. “These players in this league are way too good, so your job as a defender is to make their looks tough. Gabby hit some tough shots tonight, but that’s who she is and who she’s grown to be in this league. Anytime you’re matching up with those types of players, you’ve got to make their looks tough. They’re going to hit some, and that’s what they’re supposed to do.”

Game 3 in San Francisco

The 108 points were a Wings postseason record. So were the 12 3-pointers and the 32 made free throws. According to CBS Sports, the 108 points were also the most the Valkyries have allowed in franchise history.

Dallas won a playoff game for the first time since Sept. 19, 2023. The win was its first against Golden State since the teams’ first meeting on June 17, 2025, and it ended a seven-game losing streak in the matchup.

Game 3 is Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner meets the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces or the No. 6 Indiana Fever in the WNBA Semifinals.





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