By: Jonathan Donville

Following a return to the win column on Tuesday, the Dallas Wings are looking to continue the positive momentum as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Sparks for a pair of games this weekend.

Dallas defeated the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday with a score of 85-73 to snap a three-game losing streak. Natasha Howard led all scorers with 23 points, while Teaira McCowan made her return to the lineup for Dallas, making her first appearance for the club since the home opener. The Wings turned in their best defensive effort of the season, holding the Dream to just 32.8% from the field.

“She just brings that great post presence,” said Head Coach Latricia Trammell on McCowan after the game. “The team was so excited to see her this morning at shoot around. She definitely got a lot of big smiles and hugs. When we first started, this is kind of the team that you saw. Now we’re getting those pieces back. So that’s extremely exciting.”

The defensive effort was something this Wings team has been looking for. Atlanta entered the game with a big three of Rhyne Howard, Cheyenne Parker, and Allisha Gray each scoring more than 15 points per game. Howard and Parker finished with 15 each on a combined 9-26 shooting, while Gray finished with nine points on 3-11 shooting while being guarded mostly by former teammate Arike Ogunbowale.

“Everybody, I think, took pride in their one-on-one matchups,” said Ogunbowale after the game. “When everybody’s locked in one-on-one as a unit, I think the next person is working. That means you have to work too. So I think we were just kind of on a string and it looked really good.”

Dallas is looking to avenge a loss to the Sparks on June 14^th by a score of 79-61. The 61 points scored by Dallas in that contest was their lowest of the season, and the 18-point differential was their largest loss of the season.

“Hopefully everyone’s motivated,” said Ogunbowale. “I mean, (Los Angeles) came in and dominated on our home court and that’s not what we want. So we got to try to go there and do the same to them.

Fortunes can change quickly in the WNBA and the Wings are hoping some California sunshine will help them exact some revenge on the Sparks. In addition to adding McCowan, the Wings also inserted Crystal Dangerfield into the starting lineup on Tuesday, who swapped bench roles with Veronica Burton.

The addition of McCowan proved to have multiple effects. She was a major factor in the game herself, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds. Her return also pushed Kalani Brown to the bench, which proved to be a major boost for the Wings bench unit. Brown had 11 points and 14 rebounds of her own and along with McCowan ensured that the Wings always had a dominant post presence. It was a welcome sign for a Dallas team that sits last in the league in bench scoring.

“I was so proud of them,” said Trammell.  “To come in and compete like they did… that was a great contribution.”

The added effect of both their contributions was that it relieved some pressure on the Wings stars. Satou Sabally, who has been an MVP candidate through the first month of the season, struggled offensively, scoring 10 points on 2-11 shooting. Just a week ago, that kind of performance may have killed the Wings chance of victory, but with McCowan back, Brown giving great minutes, and Howard knocking down shots, the Wings had more than enough scoring to finish off the win.

Ogunbowale continued her elite scoring on Tuesday, adding 21 points. Ogunbowale enters Friday’s game third in the entire league in scoring, which is not unfamiliar territory. Since entering the league, Ogunbowale has never finished outside the top five in points per game.

The Sparks enter the game at 5-7, coming off three straight losses of their own. They are led in scoring by Nneka Ogwumike, who is pouring in 19.6 points per game. She is followed by Jordin Canada (13.4 points per game) and Lexie Brown (13.3 points per game). Dallas will need to do a better job against forward Dearica Hamby who had a season high 23 points during the first contest against the Wings.

Los Angeles enters the game second last in rebounding, while Dallas continues to occupy the top spot. Especially with McCowan back patrolling the paint, that will be a battle to watch and an advantage that Dallas will hope continues.

“I always tell the players, don’t get too high, don’t get too low,” said Trammell after the game. “Anything can happen on any given night. This is professional basketball.”

Sitting at 6-6, Dallas currently sits fifth in the league standings, two spots ahead of seventh seeded Los Angeles. Friday’s game is also a Commissioner’s Cup game, where Dallas currently sits second in the Western Conference, having raised $7,000 for the Sisters Network of Dallas, a non-profit that supports African American Women who are impacted by Breast Cancer.

Following Friday’s contest, Dallas will stay in the city for another contest against the Sparks on Sunday.