Wings Drop Home Opener to Atlanta
Published on May 12, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release
Arlington, TX - The Dallas Wings (1-1) fell in their home opener in a close contest with the Atlanta Dream (2-0), 77-72. The game saw eight lead changes and nine ties in front of a sold-out College Park Center, as Dallas dropped their first game of 2026.
Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings in the effort, tallying her second-straight performance with at least 20 points. She finished with a team-high 20 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 35 minutes of action. The eighth-year veteran guard has now finished with at least 12 points in 10 of her last 11 games, dating back to July 22, 2025.
Paige Bueckers notched 15 points, two rebounds, three assists and one block on the evening. With three assists in the game, she eclipsed the 200 career-assist mark in just 38 career games- a Wings franchise record. Jessica Shepard rounded out Dallas's double-digit scorers with 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three assists in the effort.
Both teams shot under 40% in the game, with the Wings finishing 38.4% (28/73) and just 15.4% (4/26) from three-point territory. The Dream shot 37.7% (26/69), while hitting 9/33 (27.3%) from beyond the arc.
Dallas held the slight edge in points in the paint (36-34) and fast break points (9-7), while Atlanta outscored Dallas on second chance opportunities (16-12). The Wings' bench outscored the Dream's bench, 16-5.
Veteran guard Allisha Gray led the Dream with 26 points, four rebounds and one block. Jordin Canada added 19 points, while Angel Reese notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 16 boards. Atlanta won the rebounding battle, 44-34, and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to Dallas's seven.
The Dallas Wings continue their three-game homestand on Thursday evening, hosting the Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. CT at College Park Center. The game will air on Prime.
Game Leaders
Points Rebounds Assists
Atlanta Gray (26) Reese (16) Canada (5)
Dallas Ogunbowale (20) Shepard (8) Sims (4)
First Quarter: Dallas 21, Atlanta 19
Dallas featured a starting lineup of Odyssey Sims, Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith in their second game of the regular season. The Wings home-opener at the College Park Center was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,251 fans.
Bueckers dropped in the first five points of the game for the Wings, with three points coming from the charity stripe. A team effort pushed the Wings ahead with a 10-4 run, led by Aziaha James who notched four points and a steal. Sims pushed Dallas into the lead after one quarter thanks to a layup with two seconds remaining.
Shepard stuffed the stat sheet in the first quarter, notching four points, two rebounds and two assists. James led the team with six points in the opening stanza while locking down the Dream on defense with one steal and one block. Her six first-quarter points pushed her over 300 career points.
Second Quarter: Dallas 20, Atlanta 19
Sims and Awak Kuier drained back-to-back triples to ignite an 8-2 run, extending the Dallas lead to eight and forcing a Dream timeout. Atlanta climbed back into the game late in the second quarter, cutting the Dallas lead to two before Ogunbowale converted an and-1 opportunity to grow the lead back to five.
Dallas held a three-point advantage, 41-38, after two quarters of play that saw each team shoot below 40% from the field.
Third Quarter: Dallas 18, Atlanta 20
Atlanta opened the second half on an 11-2 run, giving them a six-point lead early in the third stanza before Ogunbowale converted an and-1 to halt Atlanta's momentum. She recorded five of the Wings' first seven points and finished the quarter with 11 points. Ogunbowale drew four shooting fouls in the quarter.
Aggressive defense and multiple offensive rebounds created a 9-2 run for the Wings, pushing them back into the lead by one before a Canada corner three gave Atlanta the lead, 55-57 with under two minutes in the third frame.
Dallas maintained a one-point advantage heading into the final frame, with Ogunbowale leading all scorers with 18 points.
Fourth Quarter: Dallas 13, Atlanta 19
Allisha Gray knocked down back-to-back triples to open the final quarter on a 6-0 run by herself and give Atlanta a five-point advantage. Shepard became the third Dallas player in double figures (joining Ogunbowale and Bueckers) with a tough finish at the rim that cut the Dream lead to six with 3:19 remaining. Atlanta went on a 9-2 run from 5:17 to 1:47 that grew their lead to 10 late in the final stanza before Dallas responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to five as the game ended.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 12, 2026
- Wings Drop Home Opener to Atlanta - Dallas Wings
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