On September 27, 2026, at Chase Center in San Francisco, the Golden State Valkyries earned the first playoff victory in franchise history—and did it with the most explosive scoring night the two-year-old club has ever produced. Golden State beat the Dallas Wings 104–80 in Game 1 of their first-round series, turning a one-point first-quarter lead into a 27-point halftime advantage.
The final score is confirmed by the WNBA’s official game recap. The result was Golden State’s first postseason win in its third playoff game and its first playoff game hosted at Chase Center.
A second quarter that rewrote the record book
The Valkyries led only 21–20 after the opening period. Then the game changed completely: Golden State outscored Dallas 37–11 in the second quarter. The Wings’ official report identified those 37 points as a WNBA postseason record for the most points in a second quarter.
Golden State committed no turnovers in that period while forcing six. Cecilia Zandalasini scored 12 points in the quarter, and Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes each made two three-pointers. By halftime, a close playoff opener had become a 58–31 game.
Eighteen threes and a franchise scoring high
The Valkyries finished with 18 made three-pointers, tying their franchise record and ranking as the second-most by any team in a WNBA playoff game. Eight Golden State players connected from beyond the arc, creating a volume of shooting that Dallas could not match. The Wings made six threes.
Zandalasini led all scorers with 22 points and four three-pointers. Hayes added 21 points while making all four of her long-range attempts, and Gabby Williams also cleared 20. Five Valkyries scored in double figures. Golden State’s official game report called the 104-point total the highest-scoring game in franchise history.
A breakthrough two seasons in the making
Golden State made history in its inaugural 2025 season by becoming the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs immediately, but it was eliminated without a win. The Valkyries returned in 2026 as the second seed after a 32–12 regular season, according to the WNBA’s series preview.
The first playoff win therefore arrived with several milestones bundled together: a franchise scoring record, a franchise-tying three-point total and a league postseason record for second-quarter points. Golden State now leads the best-of-three series 1–0, with Game 2 scheduled in Arlington, Texas.
Sources and further reading
- Golden State Valkyries: official game report
- Dallas Wings: official Game 1 report
- WNBA: official game recap
- San Francisco Chronicle: Game 1 report
