ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings held off a late rally from the Toronto Tempo to win 94-88 tonight, rebounding from a five-loss-in-six-games stretch and giving themselves a much-needed win as the playoff race thickens.
It wasn’t a clean win. Toronto pushed back repeatedly, and the Wings gave up 14 offensive rebounds. Marina Mabrey also erupted late after being held to nine points through the first three quarters, bringing the Tempo within three with less than five minutes remaining.
But the Wings weren’t searching for a perfect outing tonight. They were searching for a response. Dallas provided that tonight, and that was the difference.
“Today was about effort, energy, enthusiasm, and competitive spirit,” head coach José Fernández said. “I would have liked that we closed the game a lot better. But when you look at the statistics in the first half, the way that we took care of the ball and the way that we shared it, that was a really, really good first half.”
Dallas Wings Set The Tone Early
The Wings looked poised from tipoff.
Dallas moved the ball a lot better than it had during its recent struggles, using extra passes and cuts to create opportunities. The Wings also consistently pushed the ball in transition, with their guards finding Alanna Smith and Awak Kuier running the floor for easy buckets. Dallas would finish with 14 fastbreak points to Toronto’s 8.
Smith set the tone early, scoring 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter alone, all season highs for her in a single quarter. She finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for her second double-double of the season.
“I think we pushed the pace really well, and we were really looking to advance the ball up the court,” Smith said. “I think that really took (the Tempo) off guard. And I think it’s a credit to the guards as well for looking up at us because I think that one of our strengths is our ability to get up the floor, both myself and (Kuier). So when the guards are throwing it, we’ll keep doing it.”
The Wings led 27-17 after the first quarter and carried an eight-point advantage going into halftime.
Toronto Tempo Makes Late Push
Toronto made its push in the second half, but Dallas continued to find answers. Kuier provided a solid defensive presence and finished with 14 points, while Arike Ogunbowale continued to provide offense, finishing with 21 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists of her own.
Dallas eventually built its largest lead of the night at 18 in the third quarter before Toronto made its final push.
Mabrey, who had been held scoreless since the four minute mark in the first quarter, finally found her rhythm in the fourth. She hit several difficult shots, including a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 80-77 with just over four minutes left in the contest. She would finish with a game-high 23 points, along with 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
Paige Bueckers Takes Over In Second Half
But the Wings were able to respond with Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers taking over offensively down the stretch.
Bueckers finished with a team-high 22 points and 8 assists, scoring all 22 of her points in the second half. It marked the sixth time in her career she has scored at least 20 points in a single half. Ogunbowale added 21 points and five assists.
For Bueckers, the performance also showed the importance of finding ways to impact games when opponents are increasingly focused on taking away her scoring opportunities.
“I think people are loading boxes and elbows more for her,” Fernández said. “And doubling her and she’s getting top sided. So, as you can see, we’re trying to work on a lot of actions away from the ball.”
Regardless of her rough 0-of-7 start, though, Bueckers found another way through, and so did the Wings. That is perhaps the biggest takeaway from a game that was never entirely comfortable.
Dallas Wings Lean On Their Depth
With Azzi Fudd and Jessica Shepard unavailable and Aziaha James going down during the game, Dallas was shorthanded and needed other players to step into bigger roles. Smith said that is part of what makes a deep team valuable.
“You never want to see people go down, but it’s awesome for people who are waiting for that opportunity to come in,” Smith said. “They’re prepared and they put in the work. Like you guys don’t see the extra work that people who don’t play many minutes put in. And so for them to be able to get out there and play meaningful minutes, it just makes it all worth it, and it shows how deep we can go on this bench.”
Kuier has been one of those players, particularly defensively. Her developing chemistry with Smith over the past couple of games has given Dallas another look in the frontcourt, and she said the two have learned to read off each other.
“I feel like we move very well together,” Kuier said. “We kind of read off of each other, like, ‘okay, someone gets beat, then she’ll come help me or I’ll come help her.’ So it’s been just fun to play with her and build on that chemistry.”
Dallas Wings Get The Response They Needed
Of course there are still plenty of things for Dallas to clean up. The Wings cannot afford to give opponents 18 offensive rebounds or 42 points in the paint, and their fourth-quarter defense will need to be more disciplined against better teams.
But after the recent losing stretch, perfection wasn’t the goal. The Wings just needed to stop the bleeding and rediscover some of the habits that had helped them win 18 games before the break, and they did that tonight.
It was a win, but more importantly, it was a response and a step in the right direction with playoffs growing closer every game.
