ARLINGTON, TX – In the final series matchup in the regular season, the Dallas Wings (8-17) hosted the Los Angeles Sparks (15-9) at the College Park Center.
Arike Ogunbowale nailed a three-pointer to collect the Wings first points of the game. The Sparks missed three straight baskets to begin the first quarter allowing the Wings to go on a 12-2 run. Shots just weren’t falling for the Sparks and the Wings took advantage.
Ogunbowale drove down to the court for a layup then knocked down a three-pointer soon after giving the Wings a 17-9 lead with just over two minutes left in the quarter.
Ogunbowale finished the opening frame leading all scorers with 10 points. She had help from Glory Johnson’s six points and Kaela Davis’ five. The Wings were mixing together the right formula for a victory.
Dallas finished the first quarter on top 26-20 which was also their highest scoring quarter of the season.
The Sparks leading scorer, Nneka Ogwumike was held to just two first quarter points. Also worth mentioning, Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray combined for six points. Dallas did an excellent job at limiting the top Sparks’ scorers to finish the first quarter.
However, Los Angeles is not a team to go down without a fight. The ladies in purple and gold rallied together to make it a three-point game 33-30 with 5:45 left in the first half. Maria Vadeeva and Chelsea Gray started to knock down shots giving the Sparks a much-needed offensive spark.
Gray earned her way to the charity stripe and cashed in on a free throw to tie the game at 33-33 with less than four minutes left in the first half.
There was a shift in momentum in the second quarter. Los Angeles found their footing and outscored Dallas 22-13 to end the quarter. Although Ogunbowale made a driving layup with seconds on the clock, the Sparks held on to a narrow lead of 42-39 at halftime.
Ogunbowale led all scorers with 17 points, three rebounds, and one steal in the first half. Gray led the Sparks with 14 points, one rebound, and two assists.
Los Angeles open the second half on a 8-2 run. Johnson sank a three-pointer to start chipping away at the deficit.
It was clear that the Sparks found a way to stay hot in the third and outscored the Wings 22-17. Gray and Ogwumike combined for 33 points and looked unstoppable.
Dallas trailed 64-56 heading into the final frame.
Johnson sank yet another three-pointer to start the quarter which quickly led to the Wings going on an 11-2 run. Three minutes into the fourth quarter and Dallas found a way to take the lead and make it a one-point game.
The Sparks’ Alexis Jones found her way to the charity stripe to retake the lead but Johnson answered back with a driving layup to keep the Wings on top 69-68 with 5:32 left in regulation.
Dallas applied the right amount of pressure and took charge for the remainder of the quarter. Johnson and Ogunbowale were the dynamic duo that gave the Wings the edge they needed to close out the game. The two would combine for xx points.
This game was getting emotional and tempers were flaring so much that even the Sparks’ head coach Derek Fisher was ejected from the game with less than a minute left in play.
Time wasn’t on the Sparks’ side and the Wings stole the victory 84-78. Dallas poured on the pressure when it truly counted and outscored Los Angeles 28-14 in the fourth quarter.
Johnson finished with a season-high 20 points while Ogunbowale finished with yet another 20 plus point game—her ninth of the season. The rookie standout also set a new career-high 35 points that are tied fifth most in league history by a rookie.
A short-handed Dallas team would be an easy target for an almost fully healthy Los Angeles team who had the longest active win streak in the WNBA. It took true team effort in all four quarters for the Wings to snap the red-hot Sparks’ win streak.
LEADING SCORERS
Arike Ogunbowale – 35 points, six rebounds
Chelsea Gray – 22 points, seven assists, and one rebound
UP NEXT
The Wings will host the New York Liberty on Friday. It’s been a rocky season for the Liberty as they have lost six of their last seven games. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm on CBS Sports Network.
