Paige Bueckers started the first round looking unstoppable and finished it searching for her shot. The Wings guard saw her season end Friday night in San Francisco, where Golden State erased a 16-point deficit to take Game 3 by a 77-73 score and claim the first playoff series win in Valkyries history.

Game 1 could hardly have gone better. Bueckers poured in 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting while adding six rebounds, an efficiency level that set the tone for a Dallas team that looked ready to upset the second seed and announced the series as a genuine fight.

The Valkyries adjusted from there. Bueckers managed 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting in Game 2, adding four rebounds, four assists and two steals, as Dallas needed overtime and a late 8-0 run to force a decider. Alysha Clark carried the scoring load that night with 21 points off the bench, and tensions boiled over when Arike Ogunbowale and Tiffany Hayes picked up flagrant fouls during a brief altercation in the extra period.

Game 3 brought more of the same resistance. Bueckers finished with 17 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks, but she shot just 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from three. She also missed a jumper in the closing stretch that could have given Dallas back the lead, one of two late chances the Wings let slip.

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Ogunbowale did everything she could, scoring 30 points with five rebounds, while Jessica Shepard posted 12 points and 12 rebounds. It was not enough against a balanced Golden State effort led by Gabby Williams with 19 points, Tiffany Hayes with 18, and Veronica Burton with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Kiah Stokes grabbed 13 boards.

The ending stings for a Dallas team that led by double digits in the deciding game. For Bueckers, it closes a second professional season that included a second consecutive All-Star selection, following a rookie year that brought Rookie of the Year honors and an All-WNBA Second Team nod.

Golden State advances to the semifinals, joining Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream, who eliminated Washington earlier in the week.