Wings now head into offseason mode

By Josh Ortega

Prior to this season, it had been three years since the Dallas Wings made the WNBA Playoffs. This week, the Wings were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Valkyries. Dallas fell in a best-of-three series that ended in a 77-73 loss on the road at the Chase Center in San Francisco. 

“We had a lead, we led pretty decently, we just couldn’t hold it,” said Wings star guard Arike Ogunbowale after the loss. “They’re a great team obviously; they have had a great year. They played well against us, but I feel like these last couple games we played well against them. It’s tough to give a lead up like that, but it’s also hard to keep a lead on a team like that. Disappointing for sure.”

After losing game one in the Bay, the Wings staved off elimination, winning in an overtime thriller 108-100 in game two at the College Park Center in Arlington that saw Ogunbowale finish with a playoff record 45 points on 12/23 shooting. It was win or go home for Dallas in Northern California heading into game three. 

Ogunbowale came out firing in the final game of the series, finishing with 30 points in 32 minutes on the floor, shooting 11/32 from the field on the night. The 2019 fifth overall pick helped the Wings build a seven-point lead halfway through the second quarter. Golden State was able to eventually cut that lead down to just a single point before Ogunbowale knocked down two key jumpers to end the half with 17 points alone and regain the lead for the Wings, up 44-37 at the break. 

Coming out of halftime, the long scoring run grew for the Wings fresh out of the locker room. Dallas went on an 11-0 scoring run to end the half and regain the lead. That run ballooned into a 20-0 lead to start the third quarter. 

Ogunbowale continued to be a problem for the Golden State defense while fellow star guard and 2025 first overall pick Paige Bueckers chipped in with a nice night along the way. 

Bueckers was emotional after her first playoff series ended with a loss. She spoke on the importance of her relationship with Ogunbowale as teammates that has helped her grow through the early years of her professional career. 

“Arike has just meant the world to me. Just in terms of her being able to sacrifice and accept me with open arms and take me under her wing,” Bueckers said after the loss. “Dallas has been her city for the past seven years, but she has held it down through the highs and lows. Through the highs and lows of Dallas basketball, she’s just been consistent and a great leader for us. Like I have talked about before, just her being able to sacrifice who she is as a basketball player to help me find who I am and be comfortable. We feed off of each other; this is somebody I ride for on and off the court, as y’all have seen. I appreciate Arike. I love Arike. She means the world to me. Obviously, you saw in the playoffs we wouldn’t be where we are without her.”

Bueckers finished her night with 17 points and six assists, while being 3-for-14 from the field. Even with the lead as large as it was, Golden State continued to cut into it to bring it back to single digits once again as the Valkyries had three different players finish in double figures on the night. 

Golden State was led by star forward Gabby Williams (pictured at right), who had 56 combined points in games one and two, and finished with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field. Williams heated up as the game went on and was instrumental in the comeback. Golden State guard Veronica Burton chipped in with 16 points of her own. While veteran guard Tiffany Hayes put up 18 points off the bench as the Golden State bench scored 31 points total to the Wings’ eight points off the bench.

The Wings’ lead dropped down to a one-point lead with a minute and change left in the fourth quarter. Williams knocked down a mid-range jumper to give Golden State the lead and four sets of free throws to extend it, locking up the victory for the Valkyries, who moved on to the next round ending the Wings’ season. 

The Wings end their season with the best win total in franchise history with a 27-17 record under first-year Head Coach Jose Fernandez, finishing fourth in the table. After starting the season in nice form, by the tail end of July, Dallas found themselves 18-9 inching toward the midway point of the season.

At the start of August, first overall pick in 2026 Wings guard Azzi Fudd was shut down for the rest of the season after right knee soreness required an arthroscopic procedure that ended her rookie season early. In September, forward Alanna Smith was sidelined for the remainder of the season as well after suffering a lower leg injury while playing for Australia in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup during a win over Puerto Rico. Dallas still stacked eight wins in September, locking in their post season spot with a strong finish. 

The Wings will now head into the offseason mode with plenty of roster decisions to prepare for Buecker’s third season as a Wing following a heartbreaking playoff loss.