Wings' Season Ends in Game 3 as Ogunbowale Comforts Emotional Bueckers

Paige Bueckers fought back emotion while facing reporters after Dallas fell to Golden State in Game 3, and Arike Ogunbowale's support drew praise from Jason Whitlock.

The Dallas Wings' season came to an end on the road, where the Golden State Valkyries edged them in a Game 3 that settled the series. What followed drew attention well beyond the result itself: Paige Bueckers grew emotional while answering reporters' questions, and Arike Ogunbowale, seated alongside her, immediately moved to console her.

Footage of the gesture circulated quickly, and analyst Jason Whitlock was among those who responded, voicing appreciation for both Dallas players. "I like this. Makes me like Arike and Paige. Paige cares. I like it. The game is important to her. I like the support from Arike," Whitlock said.

Ogunbowale was coping with her own disappointment, yet she still took a question about the doubt that had trailed the Wings throughout the year. "I think a lot of people counted us out a lot all throughout the season, but we truly never cared about what people said. We know what we had in this locker room. We knew we could compete with anybody regardless of what the first game was in the playoffs," she said.

The bracket gave that skepticism some grounding. Dallas arrived at the postseason as the seventh seed and surrendered home-court advantage to a Golden State side that placed second in the standings, a position built on standout defense.

Through two games the series was dead even, with the teams trading victories. Ogunbowale delivered the defining individual performance of that stretch in Game 2, pouring in 45 points to establish a new playoff scoring record.

Game 3 at Chase Center was decided in the closing moments. Bueckers and Ogunbowale attempted to answer the late-game heroics of Gabby Williams before a raucous home crowd, but Williams ultimately steered the Valkyries to the win that wrapped up the series and sent the Wings into the offseason.

Even through visible emotion, Bueckers redirected attention toward the veteran at her side. "Arike has meant the world to me, just in terms of her being able to sacrifice. She welcomed me with open arms and took me under her wing. Dallas has been her city for the past decade…She's just been consistent, a great leader for us," Bueckers said.

That bond helped fuel a turnaround: playing alongside Jessica Shepard, the duo carried Dallas back to the playoffs after the franchise had missed the postseason in consecutive years. All three players are signed with the Wings through the 2027 season.

Golden State now turns to the Las Vegas Aces, who visit Chase Center on Sunday, October 4. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM EDT, with the game airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.