Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard scored 15 points apiece as the Dallas Wings used a dominant third quarter to roll past the hapless Connecticut Sun 83-63 on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Dallas (19-11) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Wings’ 19 wins match the team’s total over the previous two seasons combined.
The Wings took charge midway through the first quarter, led by 11 points at halftime after a tepid rally by the Sun and then swamped the visitors with a 24-8 third quarter to turn the win into a runaway.
Azzi Fudd added 12 points for the Wings while Shepard grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. The overall team effort overshadowed a underwhelming performance by reigning rookie of the year Paige Bueckers, who had just six points (all in the first half), four assists and three rebounds in almost 25 minutes of play.
Connecticut’s Diamond Miller led with a game-high 22 points. Kennedy Burke added 14 points and Olivia Nelson-Ododa grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds for the Sun (7-23) , which dropped its fifth straight outing and completed a six-game road trip with just one victory.
Connecticut played without center Brittney Griner and forward Aaliyah Edwards, both who are nursing knee injuries.
The teams traded the front in the first quarter before Odyssey Sims canned a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining that granted Dallas a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Wings expanded their advantage to eight points before Miller’s fadeaway jumper culled Connecticut’s deficit to 28-25 with six minutes to play in the half. Dallas rebuilt its lead to as many as 11 points, including when Fudd poured in her third 3-pointer with 16.6 seconds left that gave the Wings a 48-37 edge at the break.
Miller led all scorers before halftime with 14 points while Shepard paced the Wings with 10 points. Dallas outshot the Sun 55.6% (20 of 36) to 40.5% (15 of 37) from the floor over the first two quarters.
The Wings poured it on in the third quarter, outscoring Connecticut 20-2 over the final 4:27. The Sun went just 1 of 10 from the floor over that pivotal stretch and trailed 72-45 heading into an anticlimactic final quarter.
–Field Level Media
