Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3: Huge win-or-go-home showdown

The Dallas Wings and Golden State Valkyries meet in a winner-take-all Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3 on Friday, Oct. 2, at Chase Center in San Francisco, with their best-of-three first-round series tied 1-1. Tipoff is 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Dallas forced the decider by beating Golden State 108-100 in overtime Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, behind Arike Ogunbowale’s 45 points, according to ESPN. That came after a 104-80 Game 1 loss at Chase Center on Sept. 27.

Golden State, the No. 2 seed at 32-12, swept the three regular-season meetings and now needs one more win to advance. The No. 7-seeded Wings, who finished 27-17 and won seven of their last eight regular-season games, will try to complete the upset on the road in the building Valkyries fans call “Ballhalla.”

Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3 information

Date: Friday, Oct. 2
Time: 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT)
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco
TV: ESPN2
Series: First round, tied 1-1

Dallas Wings outlook

Dallas rode Ogunbowale in Game 2. She scored 45 points, hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation and scored 11 of the Wings’ 15 points in overtime, according to ESPN. Alysha Clark added 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Paige Bueckers, who averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds this season, scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting in Game 1 but was held to 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting in Game 2. Jessica Shepard, Dallas’ leading rebounder at 11.1 per game, gives the Wings a presence on the boards.

Dallas lists forward Alanna Smith (left lower leg), guard Azzi Fudd (right knee surgery) and guard Costanza Verona (personal) as out, per the ESPN injury report.

Golden State Valkyries outlook

Golden State enters Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3 looking to bounce back after letting a chance to close out the series slip away in overtime. Gabby Williams, who averaged 14.4 points this season, scored 36 points in Game 2 after posting 20 in the Game 1 rout. Veronica Burton leads the Valkyries with 5.7 assists per game to go with 12.2 points and 1.6 steals.

Center Iliana Rupert is listed as out for reasons not related to injury, per ESPN, leaving Kiah Stokes (5.8 rebounds per game) as a key option in the frontcourt. Cecilia Zandalasini, who scored 22 points with four 3-pointers in Game 1, was held to five points in Game 2.

Key matchup: Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3 defense

Golden State held Dallas to 6-of-20 shooting from 3-point range in the opener while building a 58-31 halftime lead, according to CBS Sports. In Game 2, the Wings made 12 of 23 from deep and went 32-of-37 at the free-throw line. How Golden State’s defense responds after allowing 108 points will shape the series finale.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after Game 1 that “when we’re awake we’re ferocious on defense,” according to CBS Sports. Golden State will need that version for 40 minutes in Game 3.

Players to watch

Arike Ogunbowale, G, Dallas Wings

Ogunbowale averaged 15.3 points during the regular season but exploded for 45 in Game 2, going 16-of-18 at the line. Whether Golden State can keep her off the free-throw line could decide Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3.

Gabby Williams, F, Golden State Valkyries

Williams has scored 56 points in the series, including 36 with seven assists and four steals in Game 2. She is Golden State’s most reliable scorer heading into the decider.

What to watch

Golden State finished the regular season second in the Western Conference at 32-12, one game behind Minnesota, while Dallas claimed the seventh seed at 27-17. The Wings vs. Valkyries Game 3 winner advances to the next round of the playoffs.

Crowd energy figures into the equation, too. The Valkyries played Game 1 in front of a sellout crowd at Chase Center, and Nakase said “Ballhalla’s part of us,” according to CBS Sports. Dallas will try to quiet that crowd after winning Game 2 at home.

Reporting from CBS Sports and ESPN contributed to this story. Statistics: ESPN.