ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings won their 26th game of the season Saturday afternoon, breaking the franchise record they had tied two days earlier. Paige Bueckers scored 26 points, 20 of them in the first half, and Dallas held off the Phoenix Mercury 87-82 before a sold-out crowd of 6,251 in its final regular-season game at College Park Center.
The victory was the Wings’ sixth in a row. Dallas also won six straight from July 2 to July 19, the longest streak in franchise history. The Wings improved to 26-16, dropped Phoenix to 15-27, and clinched the season series after winning the first meeting 85-70 in June. The franchise record of 25 wins had belonged to the 2003 team, which played in Detroit and won the WNBA championship, until Thursday’s 97-77 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Wings coach José Fernández took over a team that went 10-34 in 2025. According to the team, the 16-win improvement in his first season is the largest by a first-year head coach in WNBA history.
Bueckers finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in 31 minutes, shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 5-of-9 from 3-point range. The steals matched her season high. It was her 24th game with at least 20 points this season, fourth-most in the WNBA. Her 1,514 career points are the most by any player through her first two WNBA seasons.
With 0.5 seconds left in the first half, Bueckers hit a 25-foot pull-up 3-pointer while being fouled to put Dallas ahead 56-49. She missed the free throw that followed.
“I think her being more attack-minded has really opened up a lot of things for her,” Fernández said. “I was just giving her a hard time. She made the incredible shot right to the end of the half, but she missed a free throw. So I can give her a hard time about missing free throws.”
“But her being able to space the floor and shoot it, now it opens up so much stuff, right? Because now people, she’s got more room to operate,” Fernández continued. “But if she hasn’t shown that she’s an MVP candidate and first-team all-league in her second year, to lead this team from 10 wins to 26 wins. So she’s more than deserving.”
Arike Ogunbowale added 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, along with 2 rebounds, a team-high 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in 36 minutes. She did not commit a turnover. It was her second game this season with at least 22 points, 6 assists, and no turnovers. Jackie Young is the only other WNBA player with more than one such game this season.
Awak Kuier scored 11 points and Jessica Shepard had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists as the other Wings in double figures. Li Yueru had 6 rebounds off the bench, matching Shepard for the team lead.
Paige Bueckers Builds the Lead, Arike Ogunbowale Protects It
Fernández started Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Kuier, Maddy Siegrist, and Shepard for the second straight game. Phoenix opened on an 8-2 run, and Dallas got within 10-9 with five minutes left in the first quarter before the Mercury closed the period on a 14-10 run to lead 24-19. Bueckers scored 11 of Dallas’ 19 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting. The rest of the Wings went 2-of-12.
A Phoenix 3-pointer 51 seconds into the second quarter made it 27-19, the Mercury’s largest lead of the game. Siegrist and Kuier answered with back-to-back 3-pointers, and Dallas cut the deficit to 29-27 with 7:26 left in the half. Down 37-30 a few minutes later, the Wings went on a 15-4 run to lead 45-41 with three minutes to go, and Bueckers scored six of those points on two 3-pointers. Shepard’s free throw with 3:24 left gave Dallas its first lead of the game at 42-41, the only lead change of the afternoon. Phoenix answered with a 6-2 run to tie the game 47-47, and Dallas closed the half on a 9-2 run for a 56-49 halftime lead.
The Wings scored 37 points in the second quarter, the second-most they have scored in a second quarter in team history. It was the third-highest-scoring quarter the franchise has ever had.
Bueckers went into halftime with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. It was her fifth 20-point half this season, and Dallas is 4-1 in those games. Ogunbowale had 13 points in the first half, 10 of them in the second quarter.
After halftime, Bueckers went 2-of-7 from the field. She missed all four of her shots in the third quarter.
“I think I missed some,” Bueckers said. “I definitely remember missing some that I wish I had back, but just to play basketball, regardless of made or missed shots, I feel like that’s my focus, is remaining full of gratitude for it, regardless of good game, bad game, because in the second half, the third quarter specifically, I couldn’t make.”
“But how can you impact the game without putting the ball in the basket and staying locked in mentally, physically, emotionally to the game and the next possession, and serving the moment, being there for my team, being a great teammate, great leader,” Bueckers continued. “So that’s all I’m really focused on.”
The teams missed their first eight shots of the second half before Shepard’s fast-break layup made it 58-49 and sent Phoenix to a timeout with 7:44 left in the third quarter. The Mercury went on an 11-2 run to tie the game 60-60. Dallas scored the next eight points to go up 68-60 with 34 seconds left in the period, and Phoenix answered with a tip-in and two free throws, one of them off a technical foul on Kitija Laksa, to trail 68-64 entering the fourth. Dallas’ 12 third-quarter points were its fewest in a third quarter this season, and the Wings shot 5-of-19 in the period, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range. Ogunbowale and Shepard scored 4 points apiece in the period.
“A lot of it’s about effort, not only mentally, not only physically, but mentally, and we could have spent 30 minutes at halftime, but we had to [watch] film on clips, but we had to come out and play the second half,” Fernández explained. “But we’ll have time to do it tomorrow or the day after, before we play them again.”
Phoenix outscored Dallas 33-31 after halftime. Alyssa Thomas finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for a triple-double.
“It was terrible,” Fernández said. “Pick-and-roll coverage, and then we were up to touch, we hedged, then we wanted to blitz, and we switched. Our communication was way off, and Phoenix did a good job of exploiting that. The inverted ball screens with AT, right, you try and go under, and then you fight through, and you set it with a shooter, now the shooter pops. We were just off on those things.”
“I thought we came out and we responded when they made runs, and we made baskets,” Fernández continued. “I think when we got [Bueckers] back in at the six-minute mark and she was well-rested, we were able to close out the game.”
Odyssey Sims made a free throw and Kuier scored in transition to start the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 71-64 and forcing a Phoenix timeout with eight minutes left. The Mercury got within 73-69 before baskets from Bueckers and Shepard made it 77-69 with 4:27 to play. A 7-1 Phoenix run cut the margin to 78-76 with 3:02 remaining, and Dallas called timeout. Ogunbowale hit a fadeaway jumper out of the stoppage, and a Phoenix 3-pointer made it 80-79 with 2:26 left.
Bueckers hit a 28-foot step-back 3-pointer with 2:00 left for an 83-79 lead. It was her only make from beyond the arc after halftime.
“It’s nice seeing shots going, but that’s just like as a basketball player,” Bueckers explained. “But obviously, too, just having the next-shot mentality, no prior shot affects the next one. So just having a quick memory loss, and whether the last shot went in or not. And then my teammates just instilling that confidence, the coaching staff instilling that confidence for us to take those shots and want to make them and take those when the time is close.”
A cutting layup from Natasha Mack made it 83-81 before Ogunbowale was fouled on a driving layup with 1:19 remaining and completed the three-point play for an 86-81 lead. Lexi Held made 1 of 2 free throws with 31.4 seconds left to pull Phoenix within 86-82. Aziaha James stepped into a passing lane for a steal with 15.2 seconds left, and Bueckers made 1 of 2 free throws with 9.7 seconds left to close the scoring.
James finished with a career-high 5 steals off the bench, 3 of them in the fourth quarter, along with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. The 5 steals tied Azzi Fudd for the most by a Wings player in a game this season. Dallas had 10 steals as a team and is 5-1 when it reaches that number.
“[Aziaha] is a really important piece for us,” Ogunbowale said. “She obviously can get a bucket at will, but she’s an underrated great defender, like she has long arms for her size, and she just really knows how to anticipate passes and get steals on the ball. For us to make a deep run, we’re going to need [Aziaha]. So it’s good seeing her be that lockdown defender that we all know that she is and that she knows that she is.”
Dallas drafted James 12th overall in 2025. She is in her second WNBA season.
“I thought she was really active, and then we talked about some of the things that she could do better offensively, but I love her,” Fernández said. “I mean, her hands and her footwork, and she gets her hands on so many balls and deflections. So I think right now she wants to do so well that sometimes, whether do I shoot, do I drive, do I pass, right, where you can’t play this game worried about trying to make a mistake or you got to go score.”
“She’s going to play, and we’re going to need her to play. We’re going to need her to play minutes,” Fernández continued. “So I’m looking forward to her responding here in the next two games and going to the playoffs. But, man, she was active. And once she gets in the open floor, there’s some space with her going towards her left hand. She was tough to defend, especially going downhill.”
Dallas shot 42.3% from the field, 32.0% from 3-point range, and 73.1% from the free-throw line. Phoenix shot 43.5% from the field, 26.9% from 3-point range, and 71.4% at the line. The Wings won second-chance points 10-6 and fast-break points 19-9, and the Mercury held a 28-26 edge in the paint. Dallas committed 9 turnovers, its 12th game this season with single-digit turnovers, and scored 19 points off Phoenix’s 14.
Kuier went 4-of-4 from the field, 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 at the free-throw line. She also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal in 27 minutes.
“She’s been huge for us. Just her impact on winning basketball,” Bueckers said. “Obviously, you see she didn’t miss, but it’s the little things too. Just having a rim protector back there, having somebody that us guards can funnel to the rim. She’s always there in help, always saving us defensively, always grabbing boards, crashing the glass. She got us a couple of secondary possessions. She got fouled twice trying to get an offensive rebound.”
“It’s little stuff like that just impacts winning that doesn’t get the same notoriety that scoring does,” Bueckers continued. “But we wouldn’t be who we are without [Kuier] and her impact. She’s just been amazing for us.”
Kuier went to the bench with 3:44 left after taking a hit, Fernández said, and she checked back in at 1:19. She has started both games since the World Cup break.
“I think her being able to space the floor opens up so much, and she had an unbelievable rim run,” Fernández said. “She got subbed out there late because she got hit, but just her physical presence and her being able to set screens and pop or roll. And I thought she did a great job cleaning the glass, especially on the defensive end of the floor.”
“She’s just so active. And now she, we started to switch, and she’s got little guards that she’s got to keep in front,” Fernández continued. “But if she gets beat off the dribble, she can recover and go block a shot or change a shot.”
Held led Phoenix with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Mack added 16 points and 7 rebounds. Phoenix played without Kahleah Copper (right groin) and Kelsey Plum (lower left leg).
Dallas Wings Close Out College Park Center With Playoff Seeding Still In Play
Saturday was the Wings’ 181st and final regular-season home game at College Park Center, The Dallas Morning News’ Myah Taylor reported. The franchise has played at the arena on the University of Texas at Arlington campus since relocating to North Texas before the 2016 season, and it will play all of its 2027 home games at American Airlines Center. Dallas finished 16-6 at home this season, its 11th in Arlington.
“Regardless of if you show up to games, regardless if you’re there in the stands, like, you’re a part of our family,” Bueckers said. “And you’re a part of what we’re building, and you were part of the bad years, the good years. That’s just the everything, to have that support. It means the world. And even if you’re watching on TV, even if you’re just a fan in heart, everything means something to us.”
“And so to have that support, to have the city of Arlington backing us, they were our sixth man, and they won us plenty of games just being there and being loud and having our back,” Bueckers continued. “So we appreciate it. And nothing as big as courtside seats or as small as watching on TV, like, everything has an importance to us.”
Ogunbowale is in her eighth season with Dallas, which drafted her fifth overall in 2019. The Wings reached the playoffs in three of her first seven seasons.
“I think, well, I know the fans have stuck with us through good seasons, bad seasons, more bad seasons than good seasons,” Ogunbowale explained. “But they’ve just been there for us. And glad that it’s finally turned around and they have something to come and cheer for and watch us get wins and just be there for us and celebrate.”
Fudd, the first overall pick in April’s draft, is out for the season, and the WNBA granted Dallas a season-ending injury exception for her in August. Alanna Smith missed Saturday’s game with a lower left leg injury.
“I’m having a great time because I get an opportunity to work with incredible people. I think that’s number one,” Fernández said. “Man, I have an incredible staff as well. So we set out what we wanted to set out to do at the beginning of the year, was to be a playoff team. Once you get into the playoffs, now you can play for a championship, right? You can’t play for one if you don’t qualify for the playoffs.”
“But I’ve been really pleased on how we protected our home floor as well. So with the things that we’ve gone through this year too from an injury standpoint,” Fernández continued. “So there’s a lot of positives. But, yeah, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Dallas entered Saturday eighth in the WNBA standings and moved into sixth with the win. The New York Liberty and Washington Mystics are both 25-16 and play Sunday. The Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever sit one game ahead of Dallas.
“We see it. It exists. So obviously if we are on social media or we’re just living, we know that. But really it’s out of our control,” Bueckers said. “What we want to control is how we show up every day and how we end the season and how we approach every single game with a playoff mentality already. And so that’s the only thing we can focus on.”
“Really, it’s out of our control. All we can do is try to win games. And if we go 2-0, it’s still up to the Mystics and the Liberty to their fate too,” Bueckers continued. “So we really can only focus on what we can control.”
The Wings clinched a playoff berth in late August, their first since 2023. Two regular-season games remain before the playoffs begin at the end of the month.
“I think everybody’s prepared. Obviously, I’m going to do my part in being a leader, but we have a great locker room, young players, old players that know how to lead, know what the moment is,” Ogunbowale said. “And we’ve been harping on it ever since we locked in that we’re in the playoffs. We don’t just want to get to the playoffs. We want to go there and make a deep run. So I think everybody’s mindset is in the right place and focus, and just trying to use these last two games to get ready.”
Earlier this month, Bueckers played for the U.S. team that won the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was an assistant coach on that staff.
“I love Coach Nate. We’re talking crap at USA. We’re talking crap tonight,” Bueckers said. “We just have that same love of basketball and that same passion for it. We also have, like, a Minnesota connection, too. He coached Jalen Suggs with the Magic for a little bit. So having that relationship, going back and forth, just sharing that love and that passion for the game. I respect him a ton. He’s a great coach, a great human being. So nothing but love for Nate.”
Fernández and Tibbetts embraced after the final buzzer. Fernández worked the World Cup as a scout on the same U.S. staff.
“He opened up the game in a 2-3 zone, and he does a really good job, and I think he was very aware of some of the things that we do,” Fernández said. “And even there was a very important baseline out-of-bounds that we didn’t make a good read, and we turned it over on the inbounds play. But that was more of Phoenix coming out, showing man and jumping in a 2-3 zone, and we didn’t have a good read on where the ball needed to get to.”
“But I thought with everything that they’ve gone through, his players and team has continued to compete and play hard, and hasn’t changed his preparation and work towards his group. This is a coach that took his team to the [WNBA] Finals last year,” Fernández continued. “So I have a lot of respect for Nate, not only what he’s done there, but as a human being, and the time that we’ve been able to spend together with USA Basketball has been awesome.”
Ogunbowale shared a postgame embrace of her own Thursday with Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 18 points for the Sparks at College Park Center. Ogwumike was the first overall pick in 2012 and the WNBA MVP in 2016.
“Nneka, she’s been like a big sis mentor since I got to the league. We’re both Nigerian. We share that background of our culture,” Ogunbowale said. “But she’s really a GOAT, like, she’s just been solid her whole career, and she’s done a lot for myself and just the rest of the players in the league. So just was thanking her for everything that she’s done throughout the years and just giving her flowers.”
Dallas and Phoenix meet again Monday, Sept. 21, at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. CT, with the game airing on KFAA-29 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and streaming on WNBA League Pass.
