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WNBA Dallas Wings

Dallas Wings Defeat Minnesota Lynx 94-88 in Return of Odyssey Sims

June 27, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release


Arlington, TX - Just two days after signing a salary cap hardship contract, Odyssey Sims helped spark the Dallas Wings to a 94-88 win over the Minnesota Lynx Thursday afternoon at College Park Center. Sims tallied 18 points, including a game-high nine in the fourth quarter, in what was her first game action since Sept. 29, 2023. The victory ended the Wings' losing skid at 11 games as Dallas (4-13) knocked off the recently crowned Commissioner's Cup Champions and the top team in the Western Conference standings, dealing the Lynx (13-4) just their fourth loss of the season.

Thursday's tilt was the Wings' annual Camp Day game with over 3,000 campers in attendance for the noon matchup. Dallas announced a capacity crowd of 6,251 to mark its fourth sellout of the regular season and fifth in 2024, including the preseason matchup against the Indiana Fever.

Sims was one of four Wings players in double figures as Arike Ogunbowale scored a team-high 23 points, including a 5-8 clip from three, while Teaira McCowan chipped in 17 and Monique Billings added 14; it marked the ninth time this season Dallas had at least four players score in double figures. Ogunbowale added a game-high nine assists, while McCowan snagged a game-best 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year. Jacy Sheldon added eight points, going 2-2 from deep, including a dagger of a three with 49.1 seconds left.

Dallas erased a 15-point deficit in the victory as the Lynx opened the game hot from three, going 5-11 from deep over the opening 10 minutes and 8-17 in the first half. Trailing 45-30 with 3:22 left in the first half, the Wings closed the second quarter on a 13-0 run to narrow the deficit to two, 45-43, at the break.

After Sheldon tied the game on the first possession of the third quarter with a layup, the Lynx made back-to-back threes to go up six, 51-45. The teams traded baskets over much of the next eight minutes before the Wings took their first lead of the game, 68-67, with 1:34 left in the third off a Billings layup from an Ogunbowale feed.

The Wings carried a one-point lead into the fourth, 71-70, and saw it swell to a six-point advantage, 80-74, as Sims tallied a steal and layup and buried a three-pointer before Sevgi Uzun hit a jumper to force a Minnesota timeout with 7:33 left. The Wings continued to lead by six, 82-76, with six minutes to go before the Lynx responded with a 7-0 run to retake the lead, 83-82, with 4:44 left.

Tied at 84-84 with 3:47 left, Ogunbowale and Sims scored five-straight points to give the Wings an 89-84 advantage, and the Lynx would get no closer than three the rest of the way, thanks to clutch plays down the stretch, including Sheldon's three.

The Wings committed just 11 turnovers on the afternoon, second-fewest on the season, and committed fewer miscues than their opponent for the third time in 2024. Led by Sims, the Dallas bench outscored its opponents' reserves for the sixth time this season, while the Wings tallied 20-plus assists for the ninth time, finishing with 21. Dallas outrebounded its opponent, 36-35, for the 11th time this season. Additionally, the 11 total steals were the second-most in a game for the Wings this season, with Sims tallying three - her most in a game since Aug. 9, 2022. Sims' 18 points were her most since scoring 26 on Aug. 17, 2021.

The Wings shot .487 from the field for their most accurate clip since a .516 mark at Connecticut on May 31, while its 60-percent accuracy from three was a season high as Dallas made 9-fo-15 attempts from behind the arc.

Minnesota's Napheesa Collier scored a game-high 29 points, while Bridget Carleton added 17. After going 8-17 from three in the opening 20 minutes, the Lynx were limited to a 3-9 clip in the second half to finish with an 11-26 mark (.423). They shot .471 (33-70) from the field overall, while committing 13 turnovers that Dallas turned into 16 points.

The Dallas Wings return to action on Saturday in the first of two games at the Seattle Storm. Tipoff at Climate Pledge Arena is slated for 8 p.m. CT with the game airing on Bally Sports Southwest and NBA TV. The Wings-Storm will meet less than 48 hours after on Monday night at 9 p.m.

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