Tiffany Hayes ignited a Golden State explosion with a 33-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter, Gabby Williams led the way with a game-high 23 points and the Valkyries clinched a WNBA playoff spot with a 78-70 victory over the Dallas Wings on Monday in San Francisco.
Veronica Burton collected 16 points, a game-high five assists, four rebounds and two steals for the Valkyries (25-9), who have the second-best record in the league.
Paige Bueckers had a team-high 21 points and Arike Ogunbowale added 17 for the Wings (20-16), who fell a full game back of the Washington Mystics and two games behind the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty. Those four teams hold the last four playoff positions, with no other club closer than 4 1/2 games behind the eighth and final spot.
Playing a fifth consecutive game without Azzi Fudd, out with a sore knee, Dallas jumped on top 9-3 and built a seven-point lead before the hosts dominated the final 14 minutes of the first half.
The Wings appeared primed to take a 19-17 advantage into the second quarter before Hayes stopped on the midcourt logo and launched a 3-pointer that gave Golden State the lead.
The Valkyries then took control of the game in the second period, getting three 3-pointers from Burton and one from Cecilia Zandalasini while closing out the half on an 18-3 run to hold a 44-28 edge at the break.
Down by as many as 20, the Wings battled the hosts to the end, getting as close as 70-64 on a Maddy Siegrist 3-pointer with 58.5 seconds to play. But Kayla Thornton, Burton, Williams and Janelle Salaun dropped in a pair of free throws apiece, allowing Golden State to complete a three-game, season-series sweep.
Williams and Burton combined for six 3-pointers, helping the Valkyries run up a 36-15 advantage in points from beyond the arc. The Wings made just five of their 22 long-range efforts (22.7%).
Williams complemented her point total with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Salaun and Hayes added 10 points apiece off the bench for Golden State, which limited Dallas to its second-lowest point total of the season.
After a slow start, Bueckers rallied to hit eight of her 18 shots, but she went just 1-for-5 from deep and was harassed into seven turnovers. Ogunbowale went just 1-for-7 on 3-point tries.
Dallas’ Alanna Smith chipped in with 13 points. Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier shared game-high rebound honors with seven for the Wings, who have lost five out of six.
–Field Level Media
