The Dallas Wings (1-5) notched its first win of the season Saturday night behind a career and game-high 17 points from rookie Arike Ogunbowale. The Wisconsin native’s final point total are the most by a Wings first-year player since Azura Stevens scored 26 points last year and best her previous high of 12 that she tallied the last time Dallas and Atlanta squared off.
The Wings and Dream started off slow, with the two teams putting up a score of 13-8 after the end of the first quarter with Atlanta holding the advantage. Dallas would outscore the Dream 20-19 in the second quarter and headed into the break down four points, 32-28. The Wings would start the comeback in the second half with the momentum swinging the way of the Wings at 2:28 in the third frame when Theresa Plaisance took a charge with the score knotted up 40-40. Brooke McCarty-Williams would get the ball on the ensuing possession and convert on a three-pointer, her only points of the game, that would put the Wings up 43-40 and Dallas would control the contest for the duration of the game, going up by as many as 12 at one point.
Allisha Gray was the game’s second leading scorer, submitting a season-high 16 points on five-of-eight shooting. Gray also paced the team on the glass, doing so for the second game in a row, with eight rebounds. Six of the South Carolina product’s boards came on the defensive side of the court. Kaela Davis also helped the Wing’s create separation in the second half with all her eight points coming in the final quarter.
Presented by Toyota and Keurig Dr Pepper, Dallas will be back in action Thursday, June 20 against the Phoenix Mercury for Pride Night. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.