Game Preview: Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever (Preseason Game #1)- April 30
Published on April 29, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release
Indianapolis, IN - The Dallas Wings open 2026 preseason action on the road, taking on the Indiana Fever on Thursday, April 30 at 6:00 p.m. CT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will air nationally on ION and stream on WNBA League Pass with Pat Boylan (play-by-play) and Bria Goss (analyst) on the call.
Thursday night will mark the unofficial start to the Jose Fernandez era for the franchise, as the newly appointed head coach will lead the Wings in their first test of the season in Indianapolis. The 2026 Wings training camp roster sees eight returners from a season ago, highlighted by the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and franchise all-time leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale, who re-signed with the team in April for her eighth season in Dallas.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Azzi Fudd, will suit up for the first time for the Wings on Thursday night. Newcomers this season also include 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith, three-time WNBA Champion Alysha Clark and league vets Jessica Shepard, Lindsay Allen and Odyssey Sims. Additionally, Awak Kuier will return to Dallas for the 2026 season. Kuier was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft and played three seasons with the Wings before returning to Europe, where she has been a standout in the Italian and Turkish professional leagues.
The contest will mark the first of two preseason games for Dallas this season. The Wings will host the Las Vegas Aces in a preseason game on Sunday, May 3 at the Moody Center in Austin. Tipoff at the Moody Center, home of the University of Texas at Austin basketball teams, is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
How to Follow
Airing nationally on ION and streaming on WNBA League Pass. Follow @DallasWings and @DallasWingPR for the latest breaking news. Live stats are available on stats.wnba.com.
2026 Wings-Fever Regular Season Schedule & Results
5/9 @ IND 12:00 p.m. CT
8/14 @ IND 6:30 p.m. CT
8/20 vs. IND 7:00 p.m. CT
Indiana leads the all-time series 41-36.
Game Status Report
Linday Allen- PROBABLE (right hamstring)
Awak Kuier- NWT (overseas commitments)
Arike Ogunbowale- NWT (return from overseas)
JJ Quinerly- OUT (left knee)
Rayah Marshall- NWT (concussion protocol)
Jessica Shepard- NWT (return from overseas)
Costanza Verona- NWT (return from overseas)
Notable Storylines
Preseason History... The Wings and Fever have faced off in preseason competition six times since the 2016 season, with the record currently sitting at an even 3-3. In their most recent preseason battle, Dallas defeated Indiana, 79-76, on May 3, 2024, in Arlington. Thursday night's game will be Dallas's first preseason contest against the Fever on the road in Indiana since May 13, 2023.
Season One Under Jose Fernandez...Head Coach Jose Fernandez will unofficially kick-off his inaugural season at the helm of the Wings in the team's April 30 preseason match up in Indiana. Fernandez was hired on October 27, 2025, and brings nearly 35 years of coaching experience to Dallas, with the last 25 years spent as head coach of the University of South Florida women's basketball team.
Franchise All-Time Leading Scorer Returns...Highlighting the Wings' 2026 free agency success was the re-signing of eighth-year veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale. Originally selected fifth overall by the Wings in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Ogunbowale has spent her entire WNBA career in Dallas and has established herself as one of the most accomplished players in franchise and league history.
First Look at the People's PrincessEntering the WNBA Draft with another transformative opportunity holding the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, the Dallas Wings selected sharpshooting guard Azzi Fudd out of the University of Connecticut. Accolades poured in during Fudd's final season in Storrs, as she earned AllAmerica honors from the Associated Press, USBWA, and Wooden Award, was named the 2026 BIG EAST ScholarAthlete of the Year and an AllBIG EAST First Team selection, garnered NCAA Fort Worth Regional 1 AllRegion Team recognition while leading UConn to its 25th Final Four, and averaged a careerhigh 17.7 points per game on personalbest shooting splits of .489/.455/.955 in her senior campaign.
New Season, New Faces... 2026 WNBA Free Agency brought a plethora of new signings for the franchise, including key pieces that will bring veteran leadership, defensive prowess and a strong paint presence. Experienced forwards Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard join the Wings this season after helping lead Minnesota to a league-best 34-10 regular season record in 2025. Smith was name 2025 WNBA CoDefensive Player of the Year and WNBA All-Defensive First Team, while Shepard shot a WNBA-best 63.8-percent from the field. Additionally, Dallas added three-time WNBA Champion Alysha Clark and veteran point-guards Lindsay Allen and Odyssey Sims to the roster in early April.
Year 2 for Paige Bueckers...Fresh off a Rookie of the Year performance in her inaugural WNBA season, Paige Bueckers looks to build on that success as she heads into her sophomore campaign. In addition to Rookie of the Year, she was also named a WNBA AllStar, AllWNBA Second Team selection, and to multiple Associated Press AllRookie and AllWNBA teams. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, finishing topnine leaguewide in scoring, assists, and steals. Her efficiency stood out, posting a leaguebest 20.3 efficiency rating among guards, highlighted by a recordsetting 44point performance and a 30game doubledigit scoring streak.
Wings Fever Ties... Wings point-guard Odyssey Sims will face off against her former Fever squad for the first time since she helped lead them to their first WNBA Semifinals appearance since 2015. Sims led the Fever in assists (4.4) and steals (1.4) per game during postseason action and finished second on the team in scoring (14.4). The 2026 Indiana Fever roster sees guard Ty Harris and forward Myaisha Hines-Allen, two former members of the Dallas Wings, competing with the team in 2025. Both Harris and Hines-Allen signed with Indiana during the 2026 Free Agency period.
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