By: Anthony Miller
Arike Ogunbowale scored 29 points including the And-1 score with seven seconds left in the game to give the Dallas Wings the all important win over the Phoenix Mercury 77-74.
The Wings got off to a slow start offensive scoring 35 points between the first two quarters finding themselves down by seven at halftime. One bright spot to the team in the first half was Ogunbowale who scored 17 points contributing 50 percent of the scoring for Dallas.
Things started to smooth out in the second half as the Wings fought from behind to finally take the lead with an Ogunbowale three pointer with over eight minutes left in the game. With the game tied late in the contest, Ogunbowale drove in the paint and scored while being fouled. She converted her free throw to give Dallas a three point lead with seven seconds left to secure the win.
Phoenix’s loss to the Wings knocked them out of playoff contention. As for Dallas, they secured their 19th win of the season which is the most in the regular season since the team moved to Dallas. They haven’t quite secured a playoff spot yet though as the Wings need one more win to secure home court advantage in the first round in the playoffs.
Ogunbowale finished with 29 points and converted all nine of her free throw attempts. Kalani Brown stepped into the lineup with Satou Sabally not available to play as she finished with 12 points and three rebounds. The only other player in double digit points for Dallas was Natasha Howard who scored 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
The team saw other players step up like Awak Kuier making just her second start of the season also helping fill in for Sabally scoring five points, nine rebounds, and one block. Guard Crystal Dangerfield came off the bench for 28 minutes of playing time scoring nine points and four rebounds.
After sweeping the four-game season series with the Phoenix Mercury, the Wings have five games remaining on the schedule. The have a two-game series coming up against the Indiana Fever which one win will lock up home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas won the first matchup 77-76 back on July 9.
After the Indiana series, the team takes on New York, Seattle, and Atlanta which are not easy games for the squad.
The most important factor into Dallas’ season is to make sure Sabally can get back on the court quickly after her ankle injury against Minnesota. There is hope she can return soon enough, but it remains to be seen if she comes back in the regular season or hold her out for the playoffs.
Featured Image via X (@DallasWings)