By: Alyssa Merritt

In a thrilling matchup Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas Wings (12-9) pulled off an impressive victory against the New York Liberty (14-5), 98-88, at the Barclays Center in their first matchup following the All-Star break.

“They valued the basketball, which is something we talked about, one of the keys of the game is to take care of the basketball,” Head Coach Latricia Trammell said.  “We knew with New York being as good as they are, we couldn’t give them extra possessions, we couldn’t be without them ending on a positive note. You should see them in that locker room, I’ll get emotional – I’m so happy for them, we have a lot of basketball left and are going to take one game at a time. But I am so excited for them.”

The game began with the Wings making an immediate impact. Crystal Dangerfield put the first four points on the board, setting the tone for the Wings. Each of the Wings’ starters contributed in the early moments of the game, and with a 7-0 run at the 6:43 mark, the Wings were off to a strong start. Satou Sabally helped drive the offense with four assists, and the team capitalized on Liberty’s turnovers to net an additional six points. By the end of the first quarter, the Wings had secured a 25-20 lead, driven by Arike Ogunbowale’s nine points.

In the second quarter, the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu caught fire, scoring a quarter-high 19 points and staging an impressive comeback. However, Ogunbowale fought back with a 23-foot three-pointer at the 3:02 mark to extend the Wings’ lead. Despite Ionescu’s efforts, the Wings maintained their dominance in the paint (24-18) and off the bench (11-3), with Teaira McCowan collecting eight rebounds by halftime. Still, the Liberty managed to edge ahead and led by two points at the half, 51-49.

Coming out of the half, the Wings’ offensive rhythm was unstoppable. Ogunbowale dished a pass to McCowan to reignite their offense, before going on a 20-4 run to reclaim the lead. Their superior defense held Ionescu to just three points in the third quarter, and Awak Kuier hit a crucial three-pointer to extend their lead further. With the Wings outscoring the Liberty 29-16, the quarter ended 78-67 in their favor.

The Liberty began chipping away at the Wings’ lead to begin the fourth quarter, reducing it to just nine points with five minutes left in play. However, the Wings regrouped, held firm, and regained control, ending the game with an impressive 98-88 victory, marking their fourth consecutive win. The Wings closed the game with only two turnovers compared to the Liberty’s 13.

“Most people get teary eyed when things don’t go well, I do the opposite a lot of times,” Trammell said following the victory. “So, I walked into the locker room and said “I’m not going to cry,” Right now, and Rike’ said, “Nope, now’s a time to joke.” But I told them before we went out for the game, after they announced the starting lineup, I let them know, “I wouldn’t want to go to war with anyone else.”

Ogunbowale ended the game with 25 points, marking her 12th 20-point game of the season. McCowan secured her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Sabally matched her career-high in assists with seven and added 15 points.

For the Liberty, Breanna Stewart led the scoring with 25 points, and Ionescu added 22.

The Dallas Wings will return home to the College Park Center this Saturday to face the Los Angeles Sparks at 7:00 p.m. CT. Fans can follow all the action live on Bally Sports Southwest Extra.