By: Jonathan Donville
It wasn’t the prettiest, but the Dallas Wings used a massive advantage in rebounding to spoil the Texas homecoming for Brittney Griner and defeat the Phoenix Mercury by a score of 84-79 Wednesday at College Park Center.
Satou Sabally continued her red-hot scoring, tying Griner for a game-high 24 points. Kalani Brown pitched in a monster effort with 17 points and 15 rebounds, her first career double double, and Arike Ogunbowale added 17 points.
Dallas ended the game with 50 rebounds, compared to just 26 for the Mercury. The Wings had 15 offensive rebounds as well, leading to 21 second-chance points. That differential allowed Dallas to seal the victory despite shooting just 39% from the floor.
“We’re all really good crashers,” said Sabally on the rebounding. “It speaks to our team identity that we want to rebound and that’s just what we do.
The Wings found themselves down throughout both halves but kept chipping away. After back-to-back buckets from Ogunbowale, Dallas took the lead at 2:27 of the fourth quarter and never looked back.
“She is a finisher… she is our franchise player, she’s an incredible, incredible player, [and] an even better person” said Head Coach Latricia Trammell after the game.
The second quarter paved the way for a breakout performance from third overall draft pick Maddy Siegrist. She had nine points in the quarter, easily her most in the early going of the season. During one sequence, she pulled down two consecutive offensive rebounds before finishing the basket plus a foul.
On another, she calmy carried the ball across the three-point line, finding a switch onto Diana Taurasi. Siegrist went right after the Taurasi, putting her shoulder down on a drive before pulling up for a jumper. She finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
“If I had a [microphone], I would drop it,” said Trammell after reading her stat line.
The focus on Griner, a Houston native, was evident right from the beginning. When she took the floor alongside her teammates half an hour before the game, she received a loud ovation. As she took her place in layup lines, she pointed up to a group of fans with a banner that read “Welcome Home Brittney.”
Another long ovation occurred when she was announced at the end of the player introductions for the Mercury, as the crowd at CPC rose to their feet to welcome home the Texas legend back for her first game in the Lonestar State in 740 days. The Wings also spotlighted the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, an organization that works to bring awareness to US citizens wrongfully detained overseas.
Her high school team came to CPC, as did the current Baylor women’s basketball team and her AAU team.
“I was really, really, really, really happy to see the Baylor team, that meant a lot,” said Griner after the game. “It was just good seeing everybody, and just being back in Texas, I miss being here. It was really cool when I came out and they announced my name, the love, that meant a lot to me.”
Griner showed no nerves in the early going. She won the tip-off, and then calmly buried a 14-foot jump shot over top of fellow Baylor alumnae Brown.
Brown spoke Wednesday morning about the role Griner played in her life. Kalani’s mother, Dee Brown, played collegiately for Kim Mulkey and sent her to Baylor camps at a young age. It was there where Griner and Kalani would cross paths for the first time, years before Brown would eventually follow in her footsteps.
Despite the connection and the obvious emotion of the night, Brown showed no fear on either end. On defense, she challenged Griner in the post, especially on Griner’s patented hook shot. Then offensively, Brown took it hard at Griner, trying to use quickness to get around Griner’s length. In the end, Brown was one of the key difference makers in the game.
The energy in the building translated to a physical game early on. Several collisions took place around the rim and even in transition. Sabally was fouled on a breakaway that was eventually ruled a flagrant foul and there were a few other close calls. With a rematch coming Friday, the physicality and hostility will be a storyline to watch.
Dallas’ newest player, and Griner’s teammate at Baylor, Odyssey Sims, had a nice debut. She finished with six assists and made some key plays defensively. Not bad for a player who joined the Wings just hours before the game.
“She’s a professional,” said Trammell after the game.
The Wings will celebrate Pride Night on Friday and announced Wednesday that the game will be a sellout.