SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries are back in the WNBA playoffs.
The second-year Bay Area franchise made it two-for-two in playoff appearances by beating the Dallas Wings 78-70 on Monday night at Chase Center.
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The Valks improved to 25-9 to stretch their lead over the ninth-place Portland Fire to an insurmountable margin and become the third WNBA team to clinch a playoff spot this season.
In its second season, Golden State is firmly in the upper echelon of the WNBA, currently second in the league standings and trailing only the Minnesota Lynx (29-7). The Valkyries were swept 2-0 by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs in their inaugural season, when they reached the postseason as the No. 8 seed.
Dallas (20-16) is in a familiar spot as the Valks were last season — as the Wings are on the fringes of the playoff hunt with the eighth-best record in the league.
Golden State’s effort on Monday was a typically thorough performance, with the Valkyries establishing a 16-point halftime lead and largely cruising to the finish line, though Dallas made a late charge in the final minutes to bring the deficit under double digits.
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Gabby Williams led Golden State with 23 points, Veronica Burton had 16 and Tiffany Hayes and Janelle Salaun each added 10.
Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 21 points, Arike Ogunbowale added 17, and Alanna Smith had 13.
Monday’s game was attended by a sellout crowd of 18,064 fans.
Check back for updates to this story.
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