Aziaha James scored 18 points off the bench to lead a balanced attack as the Dallas Wings rolled to a 79-56 win over the slumping Seattle Storm on Monday in Arlington, Texas, in a Commissioner’s Cup clash.
Dallas (6-3) led by 11 points at halftime, by 24 late in the third quarter and by 20 heading into the final 10 minutes after a dominating third quarter. The Storm never seriously threatened the rest of the way as both teams emptied their respective benches over the final seven minutes.
The Wings won their third straight game and fifth in their past six outings while earning the first victory in this year’s Commissioner’s Cup, the WNBA’s in-season tournament.
Dallas showcased the depth of its lineup, with Paige Bueckers scoring 10 points, taking nine rebounds and recording seven assists but finishing as the only player besides James in double figures. Arike Ogunbowale, Azzi Fudd, Jessica Shepard and Maddy Siegrist each scored nine points for the Wings.
Rookie Flau’jae Johnson produced 16 points and 10 rebounds for Seattle (3-7), which has dropped three straight games and lost four in a row on the road. Natisha Hiedeman added 11 points for the Storm, which finished an anemic 4 of 19 from beyond the arc.
The Wings led from the opening tip, scoring the game’s first seven points before settling for a 16-10 advantage after a quarter of play.
The Storm drew to within six points on three occasions in the second quarter, the third when Hiedeman hit three free throws after being fouled with 4:07 to play in the period. Dallas quickly dispatched the tepid rallies as Bueckers’ 3-pointer with 30.3 seconds remaining in the quarter gave the Wings a 36-25 lead at the break.
Hiedeman led all scorers with 11 points before halftime while Bueckers paced the Wings with 10 points. Seattle went 0 of 10 from beyond the arc and were outrebounded 25-17 by Dallas in the first half.
The Wings turned to their defense to blow open the game in the third quarter. Seattle missed its first five shots of the period and committed three turnovers before Awa Fam’s reverse layup at the 5:39 mark stopped an 8-0 Dallas run and made it 44-27. The Wings eventually stoked their advantage to as many as 24 points and carried a 57-37 edge into the final period.
–Field Level Media
