The Golden State Valkyries erased a 16-point deficit Friday to beat the Dallas Wings 77-73 in Game 3 and win the first playoff series in franchise history. The Valkyries beat Wings in San Francisco behind Gabby Williams, who scored 19 points, 17 of them after halftime.
The second-seeded Valkyries advance to the WNBA semifinals against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Game 1 is Sunday at Chase Center. Here is our Game 3 preview.
How the Valkyries beat Wings in Game 3
Dallas led 53-37 in the third quarter. Golden State answered with a 14-4 run to close the period and trail by five entering the fourth, according to CBS Sports.
Kaila Charles hit a tying 3-pointer with 6:51 left. Williams then put the Valkyries ahead for good with a 17-foot jumper with 1:17 remaining, according to The Associated Press.
Williams also won a replay review with 13.1 seconds left, when officials ruled she recovered her own missed shot after it was first called Dallas’ ball.
Burton, Hayes and Stokes support Williams
Veronica Burton finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Tiffany Hayes added 18 points off the bench, and Kiah Stokes grabbed 13 rebounds.
Golden State shot 35.1% from the field in the win.
Ogunbowale and Bueckers fall short for Dallas
Arike Ogunbowale scored 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting a game after her playoff-record 45-point night in a 108-100 overtime win in Game 2. Paige Bueckers had 17 points and six assists but made 3 of 14 shots. She went 10 of 10 at the free-throw line.
Jessica Shepard, whose breakout season we covered earlier, had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Wings shot 44.1% and went 27-17 in the regular season.
What’s next for Golden State
The Valkyries now face the Aces with a spot in the Finals at stake. Read more on Janelle Salaün’s record bench season.
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