STWF Sports | SAN FRANCISCO, California | August 17, 2026 — The Dallas Wings made one final push Monday night at Chase Center, but a 20-point deficit proved too much to overcome in a 78-70 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
Dallas outscored Golden State 24-16 in the fourth quarter and pulled within six in the final minute, but the Valkyries held on to improve to 25-9 and clinch a playoff berth. The Wings fell to 20-16.
Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 21 points, including 19 after halftime, while Arike Ogunbowale added 17 points. Bueckers reached the 20-point mark for the 21st time this season, the third-most such performances in the WNBA in 2026.
The night also featured several career milestones for Dallas.
The Resilience of the Dallas Wings
Ogunbowale recorded three assists to reach 1,000 for her career and finished the game with 4,999 career points. Awak Kuier collected three blocks to move into sole possession of first place on the Wings’ all-time career blocks list with 106. Alanna Smith added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, surpassing 1,500 career points.
Dallas opened the game with energy.
The Wings made four of their first five shots and built a 15-8 lead behind strong interior play. Smith scored nine first-quarter points, while Dallas produced 12 of its 19 points in the paint.
Golden State flipped the momentum late, closing the opening quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 20-19 lead.
The second quarter proved decisive.
Dallas committed five turnovers that led to nine Golden State points, while the Valkyries found their shooting rhythm from beyond the arc. Golden State knocked down four three-pointers in the period and outscored Dallas 24-9.
An 11-2 run pushed the Valkyries ahead 33-25 before Ogunbowale answered with a three-pointer. Golden State responded by hitting threes on three consecutive possessions, stretching the lead to 42-28.
The Wings entered halftime trailing 44-28 after shooting just 21.4 percent in the quarter.
Bueckers began to heat up in the third.
After a difficult first half, she scored nine points in the period and helped Dallas trim the deficit to eight. But Golden State answered again, closing the quarter with an 8-0 run to restore a 62-46 advantage.
Dallas refused to disappear.
The Wings put together a 9-0 fourth-quarter run and held Golden State scoreless for nearly five minutes, pulling within 66-55. Bueckers scored 10 points in the final period as Dallas continued applying pressure.
The deficit eventually shrank to six with 39 seconds remaining.
Golden State, however, closed the game at the free-throw line, making seven of eight attempts over the final 1:12 to secure the win.
Dallas finished the night shooting 44.8 percent overall, but the Wings connected on just 22.7 percent of their three-point attempts. More costly were 18 turnovers, which Golden State converted into 20 points.
The Valkyries shot 37.5 percent from the field but made 12 three-pointers and received a 27-12 advantage in bench scoring.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 23 points, while Veronica Burton added five assists.
The Wings now return home to begin a six-game homestand, starting Thursday against the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, with the game airing nationally on Prime and locally on WFAA.
