The Golden State Valkyries were leading 93-90. There were 4.1 seconds left on the clock, and the game was almost sealed for the Dallas Wings, while star guard Paige Bueckers was held back to just 10 points.

This is when Arike Ogunbowale stepped in. She scored a last-minute three-pointer from the corner, taking the game to overtime and ultimately the Wings to victory, earning praise from sports commentator Skip Bayless.

"I just witnessed the greatest WNBA clutch playoff performance ever," Bayless wrote in an X post on October 1, 2026, after the wings won 108-100.

"W playoff record 45 points by Arike Ogunbowale including an astonishingly clutch contested rainbow heave from the deep corner to force overtime … all this with Paige Bueckers struggling (3-13)."

Bayless' post highlighted Bueckers' sharp decline from game one, where she had a 90% FG rate. This time, it was limited to 23.1%.

On the other hand, Arike Ogunbowale stood up while Bueckers struggled. She had an FG rate of 52.2% and scored a staggering 45 points. In doing so, Ogunbowale set the record for the most points scored by a player in a single playoff game in WNBA history.

She made five of her eight attempted three-pointers, including the game-saving basket in the last quarter. Her accuracy was astonishing. She even ended the game with seven rebounds and four assists.

This ultimately helped the Wings capture their first victory against the highly defensive Valkyries in 2026. In fact, Ogunbowale's standout performance directly countered their strategy from game one.

Arike Ogunbowale capitalized on the Valkyries' excessive focus on Paige Bueckers

The Golden State Valkyries won game one of the playoffs. Gabby Williams later explained that their defensive strategy revolved around star guard Paige Bueckers.

"Obviously, like, she hit almost all of her shots today,” Williams said in the post-match presser about Bueckers. “But as long as I can make them hard, tough shots where she has to really work for them, then she gets tired. That’s just kind of the goal.”

The strategy really worked in game one. Bueckers became the first guard in WNBA history to score 20 or more points (21) with a 90% shooting rate. However, the Wings lost 80-104.

In game two, Williams followed the same strategy. She was seen guarding and blocking Bueckers personally nearly every single time. The Valkyries appeared confident in their approach.

But this is where Arike Ogunbowale found her space. With the opponents busy with Bueckers, she began making one three-pointer after the other.

In the second quarter, Ogunbowale even pulled off a steal after being completely unguarded by the Valkyries. This isn't all. Alysha Clark scored 21 points while Aziah James also contributed 13.

Therefore, led by Ogunbowale, while the Valkyries spent time hindering Bueckers, the rest of the team stepped up and won the game.

On October 2, 2026, the series goes to game three in this best-of-three series. The winner moves forward while the losing team gets eliminated from the playoffs.

Written by

Prit Chauhan