Both the Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings walked into Wednesday night’s playoff games with one shared goal: win and force a third game where their postseason fate would ultimately be decided. The two games that followed delivered two very different endings.

While Arike Ogunbowale’s historic performance kept the Dallas Wings’ season alive with a dramatic overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries, there was no such reprieve for the Washington Mystics. The Atlanta Dream completed a 2-0 sweep with a 93-75 victory, sending one series to a deciding game while bringing another to a close. Here are the key takeaways from both games:

Arike Ogunbowale’s historic 45-point night

The Dallas Wings needed someone to step up with their season on the line. And Arike Ogunbowale delivered one of the most remarkable playoff performances in WNBA history. After the Wings had been blown out 104-80 in Game 1 and entered Wednesday facing elimination, Ogunbowale simply took matters into her own hands.

The veteran guard finished with a WNBA playoff-record 45 points, shooting 12-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 16-of-18 from the free-throw line, while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Her total surpassed the previous WNBA playoff scoring record of 42. 

For Ogunbowale, though, the record meant little without the victory, even though reaching such a milestone was still a remarkable achievement.

“It’s special,” she said postgame. “There’s so many great players to come through, but I mean, we gotta do something in the playoffs. I can have this; it’s always a blessing, obviously, thank God anytime you can reach a milestone, but winning is more important.”

Her performance was even more critical because the Wings did not have an easy path to the result. They trailed early and repeatedly had to fight their way back into the game. And with Paige Bueckers unable to find her rhythm against Golden State’s perimeter defence, Ogunbowale became the offensive engine the Wings desperately needed.

And in fact, when the game appeared to be slipping away late in the fourth quarter, she produced the biggest shot of the night. With Dallas trailing by three and just 17 seconds remaining, Ogunbowale received the ball and knocked down a falling-away three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left to tie the game at 93, sending it to overtime, where the Wings took control to eventually win 108-100. 

Hopefully, she can replicate something close to that level in Game 3. If she can, the Wings have a genuine chance of advancing.

Controversial foul call and replay review add more drama

Ogunbowale’s three-pointer was not the only dramatic moment in the final seconds of regulation. After her shot tied the game, the Golden State Valkyries had one final opportunity to win before overtime. During the ensuing possession, Gabby Williams and Aziaha James collided, and the officials initially called a foul on Williams, which would have given Dallas the chance to win at the free-throw line.

The Valkyries challenged the decision immediately, sending the officials to the replay monitor. And after a review, the original call was overturned. James did not shoot. And the game went directly to overtime instead.

The decision became one of the prominent talking points surrounding the dramatic finish. And had the Valkyries won in overtime, the reversal would almost certainly have received considerably more scrutiny. But then, Dallas took control of the extra period and escaped, leaving the controversial review as an interesting footnote rather than a defining controversy.

Atlanta Dream return to the semifinals after eight years

While Dallas was fighting to keep its season alive in overtime, the Atlanta Dream were ensuring their first-round series required no such drama. A 93-75 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 2 completed a 2-0 sweep and sent Atlanta to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018.

That achievement carries genuine weight given Atlanta’s recent postseason history. The Dream had been eliminated in the first round in each of the previous three seasons, including last year’s painful exit after they had taken a 1-0 series lead against the Indiana Fever before ultimately falling short. 

This time, they did not allow the series to escape them. They built a comfortable lead early, weathered a Washington push in the second half, and delivered the decisive blow precisely when the Mystics were beginning to threaten a real comeback.

Dallas Wings fight back from elimination to force Game 3

The Dallas Wings could have easily folded when the Valkyries came out firing early, knocking down four of their first six three-point attempts to build a 21-13 advantage and looking poised to take control in the same fashion they had in Game 1. Instead, the Wings responded.

An 8-0 Dallas run tied the game at 21. And although the Valkyries briefly regained the upper hand, the Wings found another gear before halftime. Alysha Clark and Aziaha James combined for 17 first-half points as part of a 27-15 Dallas run, with Odyssey Sims’ late layup eventually giving the Wings their first lead of the night and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. 

Clark in particular provided a crucial veteran presence off the bench, finishing with 21 points and giving Dallas a reliable second scoring option behind Ogunbowale. With them, the Wings went from facing elimination to forcing a winner-take-all game, and the shift in momentum could not have been more dramatic.

Gabby Williams’ 36 points not enough as Valkyries’ defence falters

For much of the night, Gabby Williams was the reason Golden State Valkyries remained in contention at all. The Valkyries guard repeatedly attacked Dallas’ defence and finished with a career-high 36 points, helping keep the Valkyries in the game through stretches where the Wings were threatening to take command.

But Williams’ extraordinary offensive output could not compensate for what the Valkyries’ defence gave up. Golden State entered the playoffs with one of the league’s most highly regarded defensive units, posting a 99.1 defensive rating during the regular season, more than four points per 100 possessions better than any other team. 

That defence had been the foundation of their 32-10 regular season and No. 2 seed. On Wednesday, it wasn’t enough. Dallas put up 108 points, the most the Valkyries had ever allowed as a franchise, and the first time all season any opponent had scored more than 92 against them.

That makes Game 3 particularly intriguing. Williams has already shown she can take over offensively. But the Golden State Valkyries will need their defensive identity to return to the level that made them so formidable during the regular season if they are going to close out the Wings in San Francisco.

Mystics’ third-quarter rally falls short as Dream pull away

Washington came close to making Game 2 genuinely interesting after Atlanta appeared to be in full control. The Dream led 41-28 late in the first half, but the Mystics closed the half with a 7-0 run and carried that momentum into the third quarter, putting together a 14-2 burst that cut Atlanta’s advantage to just 65-62.

For a moment, the Mystics had a real opportunity to extend the series. But the Atlanta Dream responded immediately and emphatically. They scored the next 13 points, capped by a Jordin Canada three-pointer, to rebuild their lead to 78-62.

That run effectively settled the contest. And Atlanta’s defence, ball pressure, and fourth-quarter execution were simply enough to shut the door on Washington’s comeback and seal the sweep.

Atlanta advances to face the New York Liberty in the semifinals

With the sweep complete, Atlanta’s attention now turns to the WNBA semifinals. The Dream will face the New York Liberty, who also advanced after sweeping the Minnesota Lynx, with Game 1 scheduled at home on Sunday.

There is already some familiarity between these two teams. Atlanta defeated New York twice in the final stretch of the regular season. Maybe they will be able to produce a similar result again, or perhaps the postseason will most likely present an entirely different challenge.

Winner-take-all Game 3 awaits in San Francisco

Unlike Atlanta and Washington, the Dallas Wings and Golden State Valkyries still have unfinished business. With the Wings forcing Game 2 to overtime, the first-round series is now tied 1-1, and everything comes down to a decisive Game 3 in San Francisco.

The Valkyries will have home court and will look to restore the defensive performance that defined their regular season. Dallas, meanwhile, enters the deciding game with renewed confidence after surviving elimination and producing one of the most dramatic comeback performances of the entire postseason.

Game 3 will decide which team moves on and which one sees its season end.