The Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings have different goals for the second half of the WNBA campaign when they square off on Friday in Arlington, Texas, after a monthlong break.
Connecticut has a championship in its sights, while the Wings are in a hurry to get out of the league’s cellar as play resumes after the All-Star Game and the Paris Olympics.
Both teams will look for a boost from new players. The Sun traded with Chicago for guard Marina Mabrey just before the break, while Dallas finally is getting forward and German national team member Satou Sabally into its lineup. A shoulder injury sidelined her for the first half of the season.
The Sun (18-6) have 16 games to play and head to Texas after losing two of their final three games before the break, including an 82-74 setback at New York on July 16. Three of Connecticut’s six losses have come to New York, and the Sun sit second in the league standings, 2 1/2 games behind the Liberty.
DeWanna Bonner leads Connecticut in scoring (16.7 points) and blocked shots (0.6) per game, while Alyssa Thomas is tops in rebounds (9.2), assists (7.6) and steals (1.5). Five Connecticut scorers average in double figures.
Add Mabrey, who averaged 14 points per game for Chicago this season, and the Sun are set on contending for the WNBA title.
“I fill a void that I know I can do, and it’s a perfect fit,” Mabrey said. “I’m here to win a championship and help this team get to exactly where they have been working towards. I know I’m a little bit late to the party, but better late than never, you know.”
Dallas (6-19), meanwhile, is tied with Washington at the bottom of the standings with 15 games to play and hopes Sabally can help it back into playoff consideration. Eight of the league’s 12 teams make the postseason, and the Wings start the second half just 4 1/2 games below the playoff line.
Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said Sabally looked “really good” at practice Monday.
“I mean, she’s a little jet-lagged just now coming back from Paris, so she was in and out of practice,” Trammell explained. “Obviously her impact and her presence alone on both sides of the basketball is pretty special.”
The Wings lost three of their final four games before the break but won the last of those, surprising Indiana 101-93 in Arlington on July 17. Dallas has won just three times after May 26 despite the efforts of star guard Arike Ogunbowale, who leads the team in scoring and assists (22.2 and 5.2, respectively), and center Teaira McCowan, who racks up 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per outing.
Connecticut captured the first two games against the Wings this year, winning 74-72 at home on May 31 and 85-67 in Arlington on June 15.
–Field Level Media
