ARLINGTON, TX – The Dallas Wings will open a three-game home stand this afternoon against the Minnesota Lynx. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm. The contest can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest Plus and Fox Sports North Plus.
AGAINST THE LYNX
This afternoon the Wings will round out their series for the 2018 season against the Lynx. Currently, Minnesota leads the series 2-0. In the first matchup of 2018, the Lynx beat the Wings 76-68 in Minnesota behind Sylvia Fowles’ 23 points and 20 rebounds – the first 20/20 game in Minnesota Lynx history. The Wings were led by Liz Cambage who recorded her first double-double since returning to the WNBA with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
HOME SWEET HOME
In their six home games, the Wings are averaging 86.8 points per game and boast a 4-2 record. The team finished the 2017 season with an 11-7 home record and look to improve on that in 2018. The Wings will take on Minnesota for the third time this season. The Wings lost both matchups to Minnesota on the road despite Liz Cambage boasting a double-double in the first contest and coming up one rebound shy of a double-double in the most recent game. This will be their final meeting of the 2018 regular season. After Minnesota, the Wings will play two more home games against the Chicago Sky on July 3 and the Indiana Fever on July 5.
WHERE WE STAND
The Wings are currently seventh in the WNBA standings with a 7-7 record, including 4-2 at home. Since moving to Dallas, the Wings have never finished above seventh in the final standings. In their inaugural season, the Wings finished 11th in the league before improving to seventh in the 2017 season. The Wings are looking to record their first winning season since moving to the DFW area. The Wings are currently in line to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
AGAINST THE WEST
The Wings are 4-6 against the Western Conference, with wins against the Storm, the Aces and the Sparks. The Wings lost the opening game of the season to the Mercury and fell to the 2017 WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx on the road. Against the Storm, the Wings were led by Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage who combined for 52 points in a 94-90 win. In their most recent victory, the Wings beat the Aces 97-91 with the dynamic duo of Cambage and Diggins-Smith combining for 48 points. The Wings will play their final game of an 8-game stretch against Western Conference foes on Sunday when they take on the Minnesota Lynx at home. Last season, the Wings were 7-9 against the West, including 4-4 in College Park Center.
AUSSIE BOOM
Cambage recorded her second straight double-double and sixth of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Las Vegas Aces. Earlier in June, Cambage earned WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week with a 23-point performance against Indiana that marked her third straight 20-point game at the time. She also tied a career-high with 28 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against the Las Vegas Aces. The performance marked her second of the season with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds. She also tied a career-high with 28 points and added 16 boards against the New York Liberty on 5/29. The 2011 WNBA All-Star ranks second in the league with 2.1 blocks per contest and ranks second in the WNBA in rebounding at 10.2 rebounds per game. She leads the Wings and is third in the league in scoring with 20.1 points per game. Cambage’s 20.1 points per game would tie Skylar
Diggins-Smith’s 2014 mark for most points per game in franchise history, while Cambage’s 8.8 defensive rebounds per contest would set a Wings record.
OFF THE BENCH
The Wings bench led the way for the second straight game with a season-high 41 points against the Los Angeles Sparks. Aerial Powers led the way for the Wings off the bench with 16 points on 6-for-12 from the field. Five bench players contributed to the scoring, including Glory Johnson who scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds. Cayla George scored her first points of the season and finished with six points in the blowout win. Rookie Leticia Romero added six points off the bench in just seven minutes of action. In their most recent breakout performance, the Wings bench went off for 30 points against the Las Vegas Aces. Glory Johnson scored 14 points on 6-for-10 from the field, while Aerial Powers added nine points and Cayla George scored seven points. The Wings are a perfect 4-0 when the bench scores over 30 points this season.