The Dallas Wings earned their first victory of the season on Tuesday shortly before the Chicago Sky squandered a 16-point second-half lead to remain winless.

Gaining and sustaining control will be on both teams’ minds when the Sky (0-4) host the Wings (1-4) on Thursday night.

Dallas hopes to duplicate the offensive and defensive efficiency that propelled the team to a 109-87 rout at Connecticut.

Rookie Paige Bueckers scored a career-best 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go with seven assists. Arike Ogunbowale added 19 points and had six of the team’s 10 steals.

“I just thought everybody contributed and that’s what we’re after, a balance of where everyone’s hunting offense and making simple plays,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said.

Koclanes picked up the first win of his coaching career, a feat Chicago counterpart Tyler Marsh is still seeking.

Chicago appeared on the verge of victory when Courtney Vandersloot hit a layup to put the Sky ahead 58-42 with 6:46 left in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game at Phoenix.

But the Sky couldn’t protect their lead while struggling to close out on the Mercury’s 3-point shooters. Phoenix drilled a dozen treys in 18 second-half attempts after misfiring on 18-of-22 3-pointers in the first half.

“We’ve got to get stops,” said Chicago’s Ariel Atkins, who led all scorers with 21 points.

While Vandersloot (15 points, 11 assists) and Angel Reese (13 points, 15 rebounds) contributed double-doubles, the Sky realize their offensive abilities will stay muted until they bring their D up to par.

“I think it definitely felt better,” Reese said. “Obviously, we’re not satisfied. … All of us are winners. We want to win. I think tonight, we definitely had some sparks where we know our advantages, we know the things we can excel at. I just think defensively, we have to continue to guard collectively.”

Chicago went 3-1 against Dallas last season, including home victories by 11 and 15 points.

–Field Level Media