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The Dallas Wings came out swinging Friday night at Chase Center, torching the Golden State Valkyries early in one of their most dominant first quarters of the season. But when the pressure mounted, their lead collapsed, and so did their grip on the game.
Outscored 76–55 over the final three quarters, the Wings fell 86–76 in a game they controlled for nearly 25 minutes.
“We just need to do it for a full 40-minute stretch and not just for 20 minutes,” said center Luisa Geiselsöder, who finished with nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block in 30 minutes. “They had a lot of offensive boards in the end, especially when it counted. A lot of that was on me. I take accountability.”
Wings Hit Early, Then Go Cold
Dallas opened the night with energy and precision, closing the first quarter on an 18–2 run and building a 21–10 lead. JJ Quinerly nailed a buzzer-beating three and added three points, five rebounds, and three assists in 24 minutes. The Wings held Golden State to just 17.6 percent shooting — their second-best defensive quarter of the year.
Before the game, Paige Bueckers said the focus was on carrying their preparation into live action.
“Our game plan, our scout-specific stuff, our pace, and the circle we want to play with,” Bueckers said. “Just building and trying to get better from game to game.”
Early on, Dallas did exactly that. Ogunbowale and Aziaha James each scored five in the first. Haley Jones added four, and Geiselsöder and Bueckers helped set the tone defensively. The game plan was clicking — until it wasn’t.
Golden State answered in the second with a 9–0 run, holding Dallas scoreless for more than four minutes. Though Ogunbowale hit back with two threes and finished the half with 11 points, the cushion began to shrink.
“We were missing a lot of easy layups — things we know we can make,” Geiselsöder said. “It’s frustrating because we had such a strong start.”
Third Quarter Turns the Tide
Dallas came out of the break aggressive, with Ogunbowale and Bueckers hitting back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 42–30. A three from Li Yueru — who posted four points, two rebounds, and a steal in 13 minutes — and another from Haley Jones helped the Wings extend the margin to 50–40.
It was the exact kind of energy Bueckers had emphasized entering the game.
“Honestly, just our aggression level. Obviously, we want to learn from game to game, but this is a whole new 40 minutes that we’ve got to play,” Bueckers said. “We have to bring that intensity, the aggression level and intensity on both sides of the floor. That’s what we’re focused on.”
But then the game flipped.
Golden State countered with a 14–4 run to tie the game at 54–54, fueled by rebounding, pace, and red-hot shooting. The Wings briefly regained control with buckets from Carrington and Jones, but the Valkyries closed the third quarter on a push of their own, leading 63–60 heading into the fourth.
“We just needed to knock down free throws, finish our layups, and get rebounds,” said James. “It was one of those gritty games — we didn’t stop the bleeding when we had to.”
The Valkyries shot 70.6 percent from the field in the third, including 5-of-8 from three. Salaün led the charge with 16 points, while Carla Leite added 14 off the bench, helping open up the floor and crack Dallas’s defensive coverages.
Paige Bueckers Takes Over Late, But It’s Not Enough
Bueckers poured in nine of her 17 points in the fourth, keeping the Wings within striking distance. With just over two minutes left, she floated in a shot to tie the game at 71.
But Temi Fagbenle answered on the next possession, muscling inside for an offensive rebound, a putback, and a foul — converting the three-point play to give Golden State a 78–72 lead it wouldn’t give up.
“As a team, we’re staying together through all the runs of a season,” Bueckers said. “Our progression is coming, and we feel like we can compete in every game. We’ve just got to clean up the little things.”
Golden State closed it at the line, hitting 13-of-15 free throws in the fourth and 23-of-25 overall. Tiffany Hayes sealed the deal with five makes down the stretch, leading her team with 17 points.
Small-Ball Gamble Brings Speed, Costs on the Glass
With Kayla Thornton out for the season, the Wings leaned into a smaller, faster lineup. Yueru logged just 13 minutes, as head coach Chris Koclanes rolled with Geiselsöder and Haley Jones in the frontcourt — and at times, Jones even played center.
“You know, it’s different every night,” Koclanes said. “It’s our competitive depth that I like. In this game, with some of the matchups, we thought we had something going playing small — really small, with Haley at the five at times. You just never know from night to night.”
The speed brought pace and spacing, but it came at a cost. Dallas was outrebounded 39–29 and surrendered 11 second-chance points.
“That’s on the whole team — we all have to crash, box out, and grab the ball,” Geiselsöder said. “We have the length, so we have to go get it.”
Fagbenle finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, feasting on Dallas’s lack of interior size. Zandalasini added 10 points and three assists in a steady role.
Aziaha James Brings Energy; Haley Jones Brings Poise
James continued her strong run off the bench, finishing with 13 points and staying aggressive in transition.
“Whatever position Coach puts me in, I trust him fully,” James said. “I’m just going to do what I have to do.”
She also praised Jones’s leadership late in the game: “She’s a combo guard. She can score on all three levels. I love Haley to death — she’s a dog. She brings that dog mentality to the team.”
Jones, who played extended minutes at the five, delivered 10 points and helped keep the floor spaced in crunch time.
“To be new to the team and have them trust me in those moments feels great,” Jones said. “I try to stay calm, and when I look at my teammates and they’re calm, it helps me.”
Chris Koclanes on Rebounding: “It’s About Grit”
Koclanes pointed to rebounding — especially out of switching defenses — as an effort issue more than a schematic one.
“It’s about grit and desire to box people out,” he said. “When we switch, it puts smalls in tough spots. But ultimately, rebounding is about want-to.”
Even with the loss, he emphasized development and cohesion as the priority.
“We just have to stick together, stay committed to each other and our process, and not get too high or too low,” Koclanes said.
Looking Ahead
Dallas heads home for a four-game stretch in six days, starting with the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. Tipoff at College Park Center is set for 3 p.m. CT on KFAA29 and ESPN3.
To turn things around, they’ll need to control the boards, hit their free throws, and — in Bueckers’ words — “clean up the little things.”
