ARLINGTON, TX – The Dallas Wings return home after three-game road stint as they take on the Seattle Storm. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be seen on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
WRITE TEACHER FOR US
Tonight’s theme is Teacher’s Appreciation Night, as the Wings will celebrate educators throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area for all their hard work. All teachers in the arena will be recognized and thanked for the dedication they make each day to mold the minds of today’s youth. The first 1500 fans will receive a commemorative Dallas Wings water bottle, sponsored by American Fidelity.
AGAINST THE STORM
Tonight’s matchup marks the first time both the Wings and Storm meet this season, 62nd overall.
The Storm lead the overall series, 39-22. In 2017 the Wings went 1-2 against the Storm, going 1-1 at home and losing a game in Seattle. Skylar Diggins-Smith led the way for the Wings in their 93-80 win over Seattle a season ago, scoring 23 points and adding seven assists as six Wings scored in double figures. Glory Johnson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds in the win.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Wings return to College Park Center for their first home game in two weeks against the Seattle Storm. The Wings are 1-0 at College Park Center in 2018, including 11-7 at home since the start of last season. After a nine day road trip where the Wings went 1-2, the team returns home to take on a Storm team that is off to a fast start. The Wings hold a 21-16 home advantage against the Storm.
TEXAS TWO-STEP
Liz Cambage and Skylar Diggins-Smith continue to dominate for the Wings. The duo combined for 48 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in the loss to the New York Liberty. Diggins-Smith is fifth in the WNBA averaging 19.8 points, while Cambage is eighth in the league at 19.0 points per contest. Their combined 38.8 points per game makes the pair the second-highest scoring duo in the WNBA behind the visiting Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart. Diggins-Smith ranks fourth in the league in assists with 5.8 assists per game, while Cambage is second in the WNBA averaging 12.0 rebounds per game. The pair will look to continue this pace as one of the highest scoring duos in the league.
SKY’S THE LIMIT
Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 20 points and added seven assists against the Liberty. She also drilled five three-pointers against the Liberty, moving her into third place in franchise history. The five-year veteran is averaging 19.8 points per game which ranks fifth in the WNBA, while her 5.8 assists per contest also are fourth in the league. Diggins-Smith, a 2017 First-Team All-WNBA selection, ranks in the top three for the Wings in points, assists, blocks and minutes per game. She also leads the team in both free throw percentage (.897) and ranks second on the team in three-point percentage (.385)
AUSSIE BOOM
Liz Cambage dominated once again, recording her third straight double-double since returning to the WNBA. She tied a career-high with 28 points and added a season-high 16 boards against the New York Liberty. The 2011 WNBA All-Star ranks first in the league with 2.8 blocks per contest. The 6-foot-8 Australian center leads the Wings and ranks second in the WNBA in rebounding at 12 rebounds per game. She is second on the Wings in scoring with 19.0 points per game. Cambage is one of just three players in the WNBA averaging a double-double. Cambage also ranks in the top-10 in the WNBA in field-goal percentage (.578) and is second on the Wings at 2.8 assists per contest.
D-FENCE! D-FENCE! D-FENCE!
The Wings are currently first in the league in opponents’ field goal percentage. Their stingy defense is holding opponents to just 38.2 percentage and the only team in the league holding their opponents under 40 percent. They are also in the top half of the league in opponents three-point percentage and opponents free throw percentage. The Wings are also forcing 13 turnovers per game.
DALLAS WINGS BLOCK PARTY
With 12 blocks against the Atlanta Dream, the Wings set a franchise record and the WNBA season high for most team blocks in a single game. The block party was led by 6-foot-8 center Liz Cambage, who swatted a team-high four shots against the Dream and ranks first in the WNBA with 2.8 blocks per game. Skylar Diggins-Smith tallied three blocks against the Dream and ranks second on the team with 1.2 blocks per game. Rookie Azura Stevens is tied for second on the team and first among rookies with 1.20 blocks per contest. Karima Christmas-Kelly and Allisha Gray round out the top five for the Wings, all of which rank in the top-20 in the league in blocks per game.
BEASTS ON THE BOARDS
The Wings currently rank third in the WNBA in total rebounds and defensive rebounds. Liz Cambage leads the way, averaging 12 rebounds per game – second best in the league. Cambage is coming off a season-high 16 rebound performance and her third straight double-double. Cambage also set the WNBA single game high with 13 defensive rebounds against the Dream on 5/26. The outstanding performance from Cambage against the Dream helped the Wings set the WNBA single game high with 39 defensive rebounds against Atlanta. Karima Christmas-Kelly is averaging 5.6 boards per game, while Kayla Thornton is averaging 4.8 rebounds for the third-best rebounding team. Azura Stevens ranks fifth among rookies and fourth on the Wings with 3.6 rebounds per game.