The Dallas Wings will look to continue their best stretch of play this season when they battle the surging Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday afternoon in a matinee game in Minneapolis.
It’s the final game for both teams before the WNBA All-Star break.
The Wings (10-9) have won four of five games as they travel to the Twin Cities, their most recent contest a 77-76 win at Indiana on Sunday afternoon. Arike Ogunbowale hit for 28 points in Dallas’ win, including a 3-pointer to tie the game with 4:37 — and then the Wings’ final nine points after that. Ogunbowale scored 14 of Dallas’ 18 points in the final period.
“These players always respond — they find moments to make big plays at the best time possible,” Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said after Sunday’s win. “… It’s more of laying our head down and trying to find that competitive spirit and make every possession count. They have done that, they do not give up.”
Natasha Howard added 16 points for Dallas, which played lockdown defense in the final seconds to force Indiana into a wild, last-gasp 3-point try that missed. Sunday’s victory followed an 80-78 win at home against league-leading Las Vegas.
The Lynx (9-10) have won eight of their past 11 but felt the wrath of Las Vegas in a 113-89 home setback to the Aces on Sunday, snapping Minnesota’s five-game winning streak. It was the third time this year the Lynx have lost to Las Vegas.
Napheesa Collier’s 18 points led Minnesota in the loss. Diamond Miller had 15, Nikolina Milic added 14 points, Kayla McBride tallied 11 and Rachel Banham and Lindsay Allen each hit for 10 points in a game that the Lynx trailed by 19 points entering the final quarter.
Minnesota’s five-game winning surge came against the three teams at the bottom of the WNBA standings, with a combined record of 13-42. The loss to Vegas showed the Lynx they still have some growing, and improving, to do.
“I don’t think we have a locker room that thought they had arrived,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said after the loss. “Teams go on runs and have good parts of the season. The schedule has a lot to do with that. You still have to beat the teams you play.”
Dallas beat Minnesota 94-89 at home in the first meeting of the season between the teams.
–Field Level Media
