WESTCHESTER, NY – The Dallas Wings will complete their longest road stint of the season tomorrow night, when they go up against the New York Liberty. The matchup will mark as the 65th meeting between the Wings and the Liberty. Overall, the series is even, 32-32.
Last year, the Wings went 0-3 against the Liberty, losing two games at home and one in New York. In the initial meeting last season, Tina Charles led all scorers with 36 points, while Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 19 points in a 93-82 New York win. Tomorrow night’s contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and can be seen via the WNBA’s league pass or on MSG Network.
FINISHING OUT THE ROAD TRIP
After a 1-1 start to their three-game road trip, the Wings will travel to New York for a game against the Liberty. The team has been on the road for nine days but will finally return home for a June 2 contest against the Seattle Storm.
DREAM CRUSHERS
The Wings dominated their home opener against Eastern Conference opponent the Atlanta Dream, 101-78, before traveling to Atlanta a week later and picking up a second victory against the Dream. The Wings averaged 89.5 points per game against the Dream while only allowing 74 points per contest. Skylar Diggins-Smith combined for 49 points in the two games against Atlanta, while Karima Christmas-Kelly tallied a double-double in the first meeting and LIz Cambage recorded a double-double in the second game.
TEXAS TWO-STEP
For the fourth time in a row, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage led the way for the Wings. The pair combined for 38 points and 19 rebounds against the Dream. The duo is dominating early in the season and both players find themselves ranked in the top 20 in the WNBA in scoring – the fourth highest scoring duo in the league at 36.6 points per game. Diggins-Smith ranks fifth in the league in assists with 5.5 assists per game, while Cambage is second in the WNBA averaging 11.0 rebounds per game. The pair will look to continue this pace as one of the most devastating duos in the league.
SKY’S THE LIMIT
Skylar Diggins-Smith scored a team-high 24 points and added five rebounds against the Dream. The five-year veteran is averaging 20.3 points per game which ranks fifth in the WNBA, while her 5.5 assists per contest also rank in the top five 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 (.920) and three-point percentage (.345).
COUNTING ON CAMBAGE
Liz Cambage continued her dominance, recording her second straight double-double since returning to the WNBA. She scored 14 points and added a season-high 14 boards against the Atlanta Dream. The 2011 WNBA All-Star tied a season-high with four blocked shots, and she currently ranks first in the league with 3.25 blocks per contest. The 6-foot-8 phenom leads the Wings and ranks second in the WNBA in rebounding at 11 rebounds per game. She is second on the Wings in scoring with 16.3 points per game. Cambage is one of only four players in the WNBA averaging a double-double.
SHOT BLOCKING SEASON
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 3.25 blocks per game. Skylar Diggins-Smith tallied three blocks against the Dream and ranks second on the team with 1.5 blocks per game. She is also tied for seventh in the league with 2.3 stops per game. Rookie Azura Stevens ranks third on the team and second among rookies with 1.25 blocks per contest.
BEASTS ON THE BOARDS
The Wings currently rank second in the WNBA with 160 total rebounds and second in the league with 40 rebounds per game. Liz Cambage leads the way, averaging 11 rebounds per game – second best in the league. Cambage is coming off a season-high 14 rebound performance which included setting the WNBA single game high with 13 defensive rebounds. The outstanding performance from Cambage helped the Wings set the WNBA single game high wih 39 defensive rebounds against Atlanta. Karima Christmas-Kelly is averaging 5.8 boards per game, while Kayla Thornton is averaging 5.0 rebounds for the second-best rebounding team. Azura Stevens ranks third among rookies and fourth on the Wings with 4.5 rebounds per game.