Up to date Oct. 3, 2026, 2:12 a.m. ET
The WNBA is able to begin its personal model of the Last 4.
The Golden State Valkyries punched the ultimate ticket to the celebration with a 77-73 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday, Oct. 2 at Chase Heart in San Francisco.
Golden State will host the third-seeded Las Vegas Aces on Sunday in Sport 1 of a best-of-five semifinals sequence. It ideas off at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.
With Star Wars creator George Lucas within the constructing amongst a sold-out crowd, the Drive was robust with Ballhalla.
“There’s some magic on this constructing, I swear there’s,” Valkyries star Gabby Williams advised ESPN after the win.
Listed here are the winners and losers of the Wings-Valkyries Sport 3:
Winners
Valkyries All-Star Gabby Williams
After a tough first half, Williams put the Valkyries on her again within the fourth quarter, scoring all eight of the crew’s last factors with below two minutes to play to seal the victory. The French nationwide crew star completed with 19 factors, 4 rebounds, two assists and two steals, and was an ideal 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
“Large shot Gabby. She’s our canine. She’s our chief,” Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes stated. “She’s the one we go to, and he or she confirmed you precisely why she is who she is. So we’ll do it time and again, time and again, and we’ll imagine in her. It is Gabby (expletive) Williams — what you speaking about?”
Williams was additionally 3-of-6 from past the arc and made some large pictures within the second half to assist Golden State overcome a 16-point deficit. Williams is taking pictures a career-best 34.2% from 3-point land this season.
“I like these conditions. I like high-pressure conditions,” Williams stated. “I believe I am greatest when I haven’t got a alternative however to be my greatest.”
Williams scored a career-high 36 factors in Golden State’s Sport 2 loss in Dallas. After having that efficiency overshadowed, she lastly bought her second within the highlight and lifted the Valkyries to their first playoff-series win.
Golden State Valkyries followers
The followers who’ve offered out the Chase Heart for 46 consecutive video games are going to get extra house video games in San Francisco. After soccer star Megan Rapinoe attended Sport 1, legendary filmmaker George Lucas confirmed up for Sport 3.
“What’s up, George Lucas? That’s fairly cool,” Williams stated with amusing throughout her postgame interview.
Celebrities are beginning to understand that Ballhalla creates an electrical surroundings for WNBA video games.
“I cherished it,” Williams stated of the group noise. “As a result of it compelled us to speak louder and talk extra. Once you’re screaming extra, then your power’s up and also you’re into it. So, yeah, we undoubtedly owe Ballhalla a giant thanks for tonight.”
Valkyries protection when it issues most
Within the common season, the Valkyries dominated defensively and restricted opponents to a league-low 75.1 factors per recreation.
That defensive identification faltered as they misplaced Sport 2, the place the Wings took a 108-100 victory at house due to a playoff-record 45 factors from Arike Ogunbowale. Golden State’s protection didn’t look elite within the first three quarters of Sport 3 both, as Ogunbowale scored 21 factors in lower than 25 minutes.
However when it mattered most, Golden State restricted the Wings to 14 factors within the last body, scoring 10 second-chance factors in that interval and limiting the Wings to 3. The Valkyries did that whereas notching six shares (steals and blocks) within the interval.
Losers
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers
Within the largest recreation of her WNBA profession thus far, Paige Bueckers struggled to discover a rhythm offensively. She completed with 17 factors and 6 assists, however shot 3-of-14 from the ground and 1-of-4 from 3-point land. If Bueckers was only a bit sharper together with her taking pictures on this essential win-or-go-home recreation, it’d’ve turned out in a different way for the Wings.
Nonetheless, Wings coach Jose Fernandez wasn’t keen to place any of the blame on Bueckers after the loss.
“Paige is taking it onerous, proper? As a result of she carries the load and he or she’s a winner. That’s why she’s the most effective gamers on this planet. This sequence should have no sort of inkling on the yr she had for us,” Fernandez stated. “We solely get up to now due to Paige. She’s a first-team All-WNBA participant. She takes lots of possession and a heavy load, and the nice ones do.”
Ogunbowale added: “She willed us all through the entire season.”
Dallas Wings bench
Much like the defending champion Las Vegas Aces of their Sport 3 win towards the Indiana Fever on Thursday night time, the Wings bought lower than 10 factors from their bench in Friday’s loss to the Valkyries.
The distinction for the Aces is that they have been in a position to depend on a mixed 77 factors from their Large 3 (A’ja Wilson, Jackie Younger, Chelsea Grey) to eradicate the Fever, however Ogunbowale carried nearly all of the scoring load for Dallas with 30 factors.
The Wings’ subsequent excessive scorers have been Bueckers (17 factors) and Jessica Shepard (12 factors).
The Valkyries, then again, benefitted from Hayes scoring 18 factors off the bench.
The Wings wanted extra from their reserves, particularly contemplating that Fernandez solely cycled by three gamers exterior of his starters (Alysha Clark, Odyssey Simms and Aziaha James) who every scored three factors or much less.
