By Alyssa Merritt

The Dallas Wings (5-6) were defeated by the Seattle Storm, 109-103, Saturday afternoon at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The high-scoring affair featured 18 lead changes and eight ties.

The first quarter was a fast-paced affair, with both teams swapping baskets in quick succession. The Wings kept the score close, ending the first quarter trailing just slightly, 26-22. Satou Sabally led the charge for Dallas with eight points, while Jewell Lloyd of the Storm totaled 13 points while shooting 75% (3-4) from beyond the arc.

The intensity of the game ramped up in the second quarter as the Storm found a groove and surged to a 15-point lead. The Wings, however, were undeterred. Led by Sabally, they clawed their way back into the game and at the half, the Wings found themselves trailing, 55-47. Seattle’s Llyod finished the first half with 25 points on 9-15 shooting, including going 6-10 from deep. For the Wings, Sabally finished with 15 first-half points and Arike Ogunbowale chipped in with 14 points.

A renewed Dallas Wings team appeared in the third quarter with the focus shifted to getting stops on the defensive end. Capitalizing on the Storm turnovers, the Wings surged back into the game, tying it at 62-62 with 4:36 left in the third quarter following an impressive 8-0 run. The combination of Sabally and Ogunbowale was lethal, with the duo combining for 16 points in the third. Another crucial point in the Wings comeback efforts was that they did not allow Lloyd to score a single basket in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it was clear that the Wings were not going down without a fight. Sabally, Ogunbowale, and Natasha Howard came up big for the Wings, bringing Dallas within three points with only 2:39 remaining on the clock. However, the Storm were able to regain control in the final minute, stretching their lead to seven points and ultimately securing a victory. The Wings were outscored 35-28 in the final frame.

Ogunbowale led all scorers as she set a career high with 41 points, which beat her previous career high of 39 points (9/6/20 vs. WAS). Her 41-point performance was the 25^th 40-or-more point game in the 27-year history of the WNBA. The 41 points is tied for the second most points scored in a single game in 2023 with Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner (6/8/23).

Sabally finished the game with 25 points, and Howard added 20 points and 10 rebounds, her third double double of the season.

For the Storm, Lloyd finished with a season high 39 points, 14 of which came in fourth quarter.

The Wings will look to bounce back as they face the Atlanta Dream at home on Tuesday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. CT on Bally Sports Southwest Extra.