Dallas Wings outscore Mercury 90 to 77, staying undefeated at home this season

The Dallas Wings have showed a consistent pattern when playing home games in the College Park Center in Arlington, TX. Rebounding, high percentage shots, and defense have translated to the Wings being a league best 4-0 at home this year. Friday night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury was another example of the physicality that the Wings’ play defensively. Dallas outrebounded the Mercury in all 4 quarters, ending the game with 41 rebounds to Phoenix’s 31 rebounds. Dallas Wings’ came into the game already defeating Phoenix on Wednesday night 84 to 79 as part of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup games. Wing’s head coach, Latricia Trammell, knew how important it was for her team to come out strong and not allow Phoenix to go on the unanswered scoring runs that they allowed on Wednesday night.

Phoenix Mercury started the game with 16 points in the paint in the first quarter and had a stellar start from Brittney Griner. The Wings found themselves down by 4 at the end of the first quarter, but stayed aggressive by getting to the free throw line and shooting 83.3% from the charity stripe. Wings kept their foot on the gas pedal by taking the lead at the end of the first half, 45 to 42, and Arike Ogunbowale was just getting started. Her 15 points at halftime led to increasing Dallas free-throw percentage to 94.4%. Satou Sabally had another efficient and high-energy game at halftime with an aggressive 10 rebounds.

The Dallas Wings in all facets of the game dominated the second half. Dallas outrebounded Phoenix, and even though the Wings’ shot 39% from the field, the 27.6% from the three-point line helped. Also shooting 18 for 19 from the free-throw line (94.7%) helped Dallas extend the lead. Wings caused 18 turnovers and at one point had a lead of 22 points. Dallas had three starters in double figures, Arike Ogunbowale (35 pts), Satou Sabally (17 pts), Natasha Howard (22 pts). Arike Ogunwale is now averaging 22.4 points per game in 8 games now, and is tied for first in the WNBA averaging 4.3 assists per game. She is finding a balanced game with scoring and trusting her teammates. Her teammate, Satou Sabally, is having a breakout year averaging 21.8 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game. For Phoenix, Brittney Griner ended the game with 18 points and showed defensive intensity. Despite her contributions, the Mercury now drops their road record to 0-3 on the young season. Dallas Wings now improve their record to 5-3 and hold second place in the Western Conference and have a short turn around as the team travels to play New York Liberty at the Barclays Center against Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart for a Sunday matinee showcase.