The Dallas Wings will head into their home opener with plenty of momentum when they face the new-look Atlanta Dream on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
The Wings opened perhaps their most anticipated campaign since they been in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with a rousing 107-104 win in Indiana over the Fever on Saturday. Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points, Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims added 20 apiece and Jessica Shepard racked up 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for Dallas.
“(Paige) reads how she’s being guarded,” Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said. “She can, you know, having coached against her and seeing her now, I mean, she sees things two, three times ahead of stuff, and that’s remarkable.”
The Wings shot 59.1% from the field, went 12 for 23 from 3-point range and amassed 25 fastbreak points but still had to outlast a final deep 3-point miss from Fever star Caitlin Clark and two late missed free throws by Bueckers to garner the victory.
“It was great to start off the season with win,” said Fernandez, who won his first game as coach for the Wings. “I have to find a way to get some guys (outside the core group) some more shots but we will work on that. We have five really talented backcourt players.”
Top overall pick Azzi Fudd finished her WNBA debut for Dallas with just three points and one steal in 18 minutes of court time.
The Dream also went down to the wire in their season opener, beating Minnesota on the road 91-90 on Saturday behind 24 points from Allisha Gray and Angel Reese’s 11 points and game-high 14 rebounds.
Reese, who came to Atlanta in a trade with Chicago in the offseason, also blocked a shot by the Lynx’s Emese Hof as the buzzer sounded to secure the win in her first regular-season game with the Dream.
Naz Hillmon and Rhyne Howard added 15 points apiece for Atlanta, which outscored Minnesota by 16 points in the second half to complete the comeback victory.
“It was rough for me (Saturday),” Reese said of her overall performance. “But this is what you call the team and being with players that have your back, always will pick you up even when you’re not having the best game, and always in your ear, putting a lot of confidence into you.
“We just continue to grow and get better, because this wasn’t our best.”
Tuesday’s clash is the first of three between the teams this season; they will also square off in Atlanta on May 22 and then again in Arlington on July 29.
–Field Level Media
