Golden State Valkyries Edge Dallas Wings Late, 86–76

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) rallies Dallas Wings teammates, Luisa Geiselsöder (No. 18), Arike Ogunbowale (No. 24), and Li Yueru (No. 18) during a back-and-forth matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

SAN FRANCISCO — While the Dallas Wings faltered, the young team’s steps forward were clear. The Wings dropped Friday night’s matchup 86-76 in a tough loss to the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center.

Despite the outcome, rookie Paige Bueckers and young veteran Haley Jones, along with head coach Chris Koclanes, delivered points of pride that point toward more competitive games ahead.

Dallas dominated early, jumping out to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter behind sharp shooting from Arike Ogunbowale and the defense locking up the Valkyries inside. Golden State, missing All-Star Kayla Thornton to injury, struggled to score inside early but kept pace with timely threes.

Bueckers delivered a full 37-minute performance, finishing with 17 points, six assists and four steals on 7-of-15 shooting. She said afterward, “I think as a team, just for us to continue to stay together through like the runs of the team… we stayed connected in that. And we’re continuing to grow.

“I think… our progression is coming, and it’s coming at a rate where we think we can compete in every single game,” Bueckers said. “We’ll continue to clean it up and learn and grow… so we can start winning some more of these close games.”

Her voice echoed what the team has quietly leaned into: a maturation of culture and shared purpose.

Jones added 10 points in 28 minutes, stepping into late-game rotations with confidence.

Haley Jones (No. 30) of the Dallas Wings has fit right in with her new team thanks to a thriving roster around her. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

“In terms of being in the game in late game scenarios, I feel like I’m always a pretty levelheaded person. And so to be new to the organization… to trust me in those moments feels great. And I think… I try to stay calm by looking at my teammates… they have calm faces, so that helps me stay calm,” Jones said. “And I think… Arike… being a vet and Paige… being so young and so levelheaded… makes my job pretty easy. So I’m just out there to facilitate and communicate and do the job to the best of my capability.”

Dallas maintained a competitive rhythm into halftime with a 36-30 edge thanks to a 36-percent mark from deep. Ogunbowale led the Wings with 17 points, knocking down three triples and going 4-5 from the line, but scoring dried up late. Team free-throw shooting lagged—converting just 12 of 19 attempts compared to Golden State’s 23 of 25—a margin that would prove decisive.

The third quarter marked a turning point. Golden State went on a 33-point surge, powered by balanced scoring from Janelle Salaün, who finished with 18, and Tiffany Hayes, with 17. Most notably, the Valkyries tied it midway through and then took the lead late in the frame, ending the quarter ahead 63-60. Dallas missed key defensive assignments and the Valkyries punished them from downtown.

Despite the outcome, Koclanes saw something valuable amid the adversity.

“Yeah, just stay together. Stay committed to each other, to our process and to getting better and learning and really trying not to get too high and too low,” he offered. “It was an incredible environment. First time playing here. They really show out, and it’s a tough place to play, especially in a tight game down the stretch with a lot of young people on your roster. So yeah, just continue to stick together.”

Despite urging mental steadiness, Dallas couldn’t retake control. In the fourth, Golden State stretched the lead to double digits, fueled by timely free throws from Hayes and Burton. Temi Fagbenlé’s offensive rebound and subsequent and-one spelled the final blow early in crunch time.

The Wings led the glass early in the contest but couldn’t stave off the Valkyries’ second-half dominance. Dallas’ bench fell silent—Aziaha James scored just 5 points and DiJonai Carrington added 4—but Golden State got clutch contributions from Leite (14 off the bench) and Iliana Rupert (9 points, including two threes to spark the third quarter run).

Turnovers plagued both sides, but Golden State was able to turn defensive stops into high-percentage looks. While both teams shot 42.2% from the field, the Wings’ inability to create clean looks in the final four minutes left them trading jumpers against a team finding easy lanes and drawing fouls. Veronica Burton and Salaün played pivotal roles in calming Golden State in the closing minutes.

Even with the Wings shooting nearly 39% from three, they found themselves on the wrong end of momentum. Credit goes to Dallas’ young core for competing wire-to-wire, but they’ll need more than moral victories moving forward.

Still, the tone from the Wings’ side postgame was unmistakable: belief that process is taking root, Bueckers’ reflection on growth, Jones’ steady role in late rotations, and Koclanes’ emphasis on resilience all underline that—even in defeat—Dallas is finding an identity worth betting on.

The team returns home to face the Las Vegas Aces, a daunting opponent. But with their continued development and cohesion, the Wings hope that the lessons learned in games like Friday’s will fuel a stronger finish to the second half of their season.

Arike Ogubowale (No. 24) has seen her recent performances remind those in the WNBA of her incredible play on both ends of the floor. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

Koclanes has made it clear he’s building something long-term. These moments, however painful, are part of that process. The young players are being trusted in high-pressure situations, and veterans like Ogunbowale are embracing mentorship on the fly. The raw data may still reflect a team in struggle, but the eye test shows the Wings are tightening things up, playing cleaner, smarter ball, and not folding under adversity.

It’s the little plays—like Bueckers forcing a late steal to keep the game alive, or Jones staying poised under a trap and swinging the ball into an open corner shooter—that aren’t always on the box score but build the kind of credibility that makes coaches invest in young players. Those habits, born from these tough road losses, are exactly what gives a team like Dallas hope beyond July.

Golden State had the edge in execution and late-game calm. Dallas had grit, flashes of brilliance, and most importantly, players who believe this team is close to putting it together. That belief, along with continued internal growth, is something no opponent can easily take away.

For now, the Wings take another loss on the chin—but keep their heads up. With their next test looming, there’s little time to dwell, only to improve.

Next Stop

Dallas returns to the friendly confines of College Park Center for the first of three home games with a Sunday matinee matchup against the Las Vegas Aces at 3 p.m. CT. Earlier this month, the Wings fell to the Aces at home on July 16.

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Las Vegas Aces: By the Numbers