Phoenix Catches Wings Late
Published on September 22, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release
Phoenix, Ariz. - The Dallas Wings fell at the Phoenix Mercury 87-86 Monday night at Mortgage Matchup Center, halting the Dallas winning streak at six games. Paige Bueckers set the Wings' single-season scoring record with her 30-point night giving her 853 points on the season. Jessica Shepard recorded her 24th double-double of the year with 17 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Dallas moves to 26-17 on the year with one game remaining in the regular season. Phoenix improves to 16-27.
The Wings close out the regular season at the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. CT. The game will air nationally on USA Network and locally in the Dallas Fort-Worth area on KFAA 29. Dallas is currently in a tie for seventh place with the New York Liberty and half a game back of the sixth-place Washington Mystics (26-16). The Wings have the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York by way of their 2-1 regular-season series win, but went 1-2 against the Mystics as Washington has the edge in that tiebreaker. Dallas is also 1.5 games back of the Indiana Fever (27-15) who have two games remaining against the first-place Minnesota Lynx. Dallas won the series with the Fever, 2-1.
The 30-point performance was Bueckers' fourth of the season and sixth of her career - second most in Wings history. She added seven assists and five rebounds - her 16th game this season with at least seven assists. Bueckers broke Arike Ogunbowale's Wings single-season scoring record of 849 points set in 2023 (40 games). Shepard's 24th double-double is the second-most in the WNBA this year, while doing so with 15-or-more rebounds for the ninth time - most in the WNBA in 2026. It was also her WNBA-leading 13th game this year with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Awak Kuier added eight points, five rebounds and a game-high five blocks. It marked the fourth time this season Kuier tallied five-or-more rejections in a game, most in the WNBA.
Dallas shot .419 overall (31-74), .435 from three (10-23), but just .667 from the free-throw line (14-21) compared to Phoenix at .418 (28-67), .238 (5-21) and .867 (26-30), respectively. The Mercury outscored Dallas in the paint (40-22) while the Wings held the advantage in second-chance points (7-3) and fast break points (9-5). Kahleah Copper had a game-high 31 points to lead the Mercury, including the game-winning bucket with 2.4 seconds left.
Game Leaders
Points Rebounds Assists
Dallas Bueckers (30) Shepard (19) Bueckers (7)
Phoenix Copper (31) Thomas (11) Thomas (12)
First Quarter: Dallas 26, Phoenix 19
The Wings utilized a starting lineup of Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Awak Kuier, Maddy Siegrist and Jessica Shepard for the third straight game. Bueckers accounted for 100% of the team's first 13 points (5 points, 3 assists, 8 points created from assists) over the opening five minutes of play, with Kuier sinking a pair of threes off Bueckers assists. The opening quarter featured four lead changes, but once Dallas went ahead at the 6:05 mark they maintained it the rest of the frame, leading by as many as nine. Bueckers led all scorers with nine points off 3-5 shooting while adding four assists. The Wings shot 50-percent from the field in the first while holding Phoenix to a 35-percent clip.
Second Quarter: Dallas 21, Phoenix 24
A 14-5 Mercury run trimmed a 14-point Dallas lead down to two in the final minute of the half. Siegrist had seven points in the quarter, draining a pair of triples, while Shepard added five. Dallas shot .467 in the quarter while Phoenix bumped its shooting to .421, including 3-6 (.500) from three. Bueckers had a game-high 13 points at the half to go along with a game-best six assists, with the Wings assisting on 13-of-17 makes.
Third Quarter: Dallas 21, Phoenix 18
A 7-0 Mercury run gave the home team their first lead since the opening four minutes of the game, but Dallas countered with a 17-3 run to take a 13-point lead with under three minutes to go in the third. Bueckers had 10 points in seven minutes of play to eclipse 20 on the night - the 17th game of the season where she has had at least 20 points and five assists - fourth-most in the WNBA this season. Shepard had five points and nine rebounds in the third to bring her game totals to 12 points and 16 boards.
Fourth Quarter: Dallas 18, Phoenix 26
Dallas opened the fourth going 3-3 from the field as the Wings lead swelled back to double figures - 74-63 with 8:47 to play - forcing a Phoenix timeout. A 7-2 Mercury spurt narrowed the Wings lead down to six, 76-70, with 4:10 to go. Shepard made 1-of-2 free-throws the next possession before Kahleah Copper responded for the Mercury to make it a five-point game, 77-72. A Shepard free-throw got the Dallas lead back to six, 79-73, before four straight points from Phoenix made it a two-point game, 79-77, with 2:23 remaining. An Ogunbowale jumper brought the Dallas lead back up to four before four-straight points from Phoenix knotted the game at 81-81 with 49.6 seconds left. Bueckers broke the tie with a three-pointer with 33.3 seconds on the clock, with Dallas and Phoenix trading free-throws over the next 17 seconds to keep the Wings lead at three, 86-83 with 16.9 to go. The Mercury made it a one-point Dallas lead, 86-85, after a quick lay-in with 15.7 seconds left. After a reset timeout, Dallas inbounded near center court, with Ogunbowale getting tied up and subsequently losing the jump ball. Copper made the go-ahead bucket for Phoenix with 2.4 seconds left, and Bueckers' heave in the closing seconds was off the mark as the Mercury completed the comeback and picked up the win.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 22, 2026
- All-Time Series with Mystics Ends in 79-69 Road Loss - Connecticut Sun
- Dallas Wings Sign Deja Kelly to Developmental Player Contract - Dallas Wings
- Game Preview: Dallas Wings at Seattle Storm (Game #44)- September 23 - Dallas Wings
- Las Vegas Aces Sold out for 68th Straight Game and Third Consecutive Season at Michelob ULTRA Arena - Las Vegas Aces
- Behind the Glow: Gianna Kneepkens - Connecticut Sun
- Phoenix Catches Wings Late - Dallas Wings
- Stewart's Effort Not Enough for Liberty against Atlanta - New York Liberty
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
