The Dallas Wings were fighting to keep their season alive in the playoffs against the Golden State Valkyries when their biggest offensive weapon disappeared down the tunnel. For a moment, a season that had been kept alive by Arike Ogunbowale appeared to be over.
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It all happened with about 6:36 left on the clock. Ogunbowale drove in before throwing up a contested layup from the nail, which missed. She then attempted to grab an offensive rebound, but as she came down with the ball, she came down awkwardly on her right leg. Ogunbowale then stumbled back on defense, grabbing at her thigh before Dallas called a timeout with 6:20 on the clock. Yahoo Sports noted the incident and what occurred immediately afterward on X.
“Arike Ogunbowale headed to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury in the fourth quarter of Wings-Valkyries Game 3,” the post read.
“Arike leads all scorers with 23 points with under 7 minutes remaining in the must-win game.”
Thankfully, Ogunbowale returned to the bench just a few minutes later, and checked back into the game during a stoppage.
The moment was immediately concerning for Dallas since Ogunbowale had been their most outstanding offensive player for the last two games. After starting the first-round best-of-three series with a slow start with 10 points in Game 1, Ogunbowale delivered the greatest playoff scoring performance in WNBA history in Game 2.
In Game 2, she finished with a WNBA playoff record 45 points on 12-23 from the field, including 16 made free throws. She also made the game-tying three at the end of the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, during which she scored 11 points to eventually help Dallas tie the series up with a 108-100 win.
Her backcourt partner, Paige Bueckers, was astounded by Ogunbowale’s performance on the court, and explained what it felt like to see her up close after the game.
“Man, I can’t even put into words what she just did. I’m on the court in awe,” Bueckers said, per USA Today.
“I’m just like, ‘Let me get her the ball and get out the way.’ I got flashbacks from the Final Four when I was in high school when she hit two game winners at Notre Dame. I got a terrible flashback to Unrivaled when she hit the game winner in the same spot in the same corner to beat our team, the Breeze. So an honor to be on the floor with her tonight. She really carried us”
That didn’t mean there weren’t contentious moments. Ogunbowale got into an altercation with Valkyries star Tiffany Hayes when both tried to go up for a rebound, causing Hayes to send the Wings guard tumbling to the ground. Ogunbowale immediately got up and shoved Hayes in response, before the two were separated by teammates.
Both players were assessed flagrant fouls for their actions, and converted on each of their free throws.
Arike Ogunbowale’s 30-Point Effort Goes in Vain as Valkyries Rally
Ogunbowale had been solid during the win-or-go-home Game 3, too. She started the game with 17 points in the first half, and the rest of Dallas followed suit, opening the game with a 20-0 run.
Ogunbowale ended the game with 30 points on 11-for-21 shooting, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep the Wings’ season alive. The Valkyries rallied back from their early deficits, including a 55-40 hole in the third quarter, to eventually take a 77-73 win. It included an intriguing tactic from head coach Natalie Nakase.
The Valkyries opted to foul the Wings’ Alysha Clark while leading 75-72 in the closing moments of the game, causing her to miss one of her free throws and giving them the ball back. Gabby Williams sealed the win at the line with two made free throws, and Paige Bueckers’ final three-point attempt didn’t make a difference.
Now, the Valkyries head to the semifinals, where they face the #3-seeded Las Vegas Aces, who are fresh off beating the Indiana Fever 2-1 in their own first-round series.
This is an especially devastating moment for Ogunbowale, who repeatedly delivered when the team called upon her, and her WNBA record performance ends up as a bookmark in a win for the Valkyries, as the Wings’ season ended with them falling four points short.