Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale score 20 apiece and Dallas Wings defeat New York Liberty 92-82
Arike Ogunbowale had 20 points and 14 assists, Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and the Dallas Wings hung on to beat the New York Liberty 92-82 on Monday night despite making only one field goal in the fourth quarter.
Game recap
Dallas led 85-62 through three quarters, but a 3-pointer from Aziaha James with about 7 minutes remaining was the Wings' only basket of the final period.
New York outscored Dallas 20-3 over the first 8 1/2 minutes, capped by Jonquel Jones' 3-pointer that made it 88-82.
Bueckers — with former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd in attendance wearing an "I Heart PB" T-shirt — finally scored for Dallas, making two free throws with 1:06 remaining. After Jones missed a jumper, DiJonai Carrington made two free throws for a 92-82 lead with 54 seconds left.
The Wings led 31-19 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 63-36 at halftime, when Ogunbowale became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 15 points and 10 assists in one half.
Jones had 18 points for New York (17-8), which was playing without Breanna Stewart because of a right leg injury and lost its second straight. Sabrina Ionescu scored 17.
Luisa Geiselsoder had 14 points for Dallas (8-19).
Dallas clinches advantage in all-time series against New York
With the win over New York on Monday, Dallas takes a 1-0 edge in the 2025 series between the two teams, clinching the advantage in the all-time series at 42-41.
The win also marks the second time this season that Dallas has won the second game of a back-to-back after playing on Sunday, July 27, joining the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream as the only teams this season to have multiple wins in the second game of a back-to-back.
"We made it a point to just communicate with each other more," Ogunbowale said about the team's chemistry over the last couple of games during the last couple of games. "You know, pick each other up if we ever see something going on."
Ogunbowale said she and Bueckers, as the two leaders on the squad, have been intentional about getting on the same page and building their chemistry together, too.
If things continue to flow, Dallas can make a great run during the stretch to the playoffs.
Up next
Dallas will stay home at College Park Center in Arlington to host the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, July 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
