Wings Take Down Lynx 94-89
May 30, 2023 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Dallas Wings won at home this evening and improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 at home following a 94-89 win over the Minnesota Lynx at College Park Center.
Natasha Howard led all-scorers with 25 points on 11-15 shooting (73.3%). Howard made 7 of the Wings' 10 second-quarter field goals and concluded the first half with 20 points on 9-10 shooting, tying her career high for points in a single half. Her 16 second-quarter points represent her career high in any quarter, beating her previous high of 13 points she accomplished three times with Seattle in 2019.
Satou Sabally recorded her second double-double of the season and ninth of her career after finishing the game with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The fourth-year forward opened the game with 15 points and three rebounds in the first quarter, which represents the most she has scored in a single quarter, beating her previous high of 14 in the fourth quarter vs. Las Vegas (8/25/20). Sabally concluded the first half with 17 points and beat her previous career high of 15 points in a single half.
Recently crowned Western Conference Player of the Week, Arike Ogunbowale, totaled 21 points, while dishing out five assists tonight. Ogunbowale became the eleventh player in league history to score 20+ points in the first four games of the season.
After signing with Dallas on Tuesday morning, Kalani Brown played a career high 26:52 minutes and recorded 12 points and a +/- of nine. Brown made her first field goal of the 2023 season with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The basket represented the first in a 10-6 run that spanned from 3:50 in the second quarter to 8:59 in the fourth quarter that saw Brown score all ten Wings' points.
After remaining scoreless through the third quarter, Crystal Dangerfield racked up nine points in under four minutes in the fourth quarter. Veronica Burton tied her career-high with nine assists this evening and recorded four points and five rebounds.
Ogunbowale and Sabally are in the top-10 for points per game in the WNBA with Ogunbowale ranking third with an average 25.3 points, followed by Sabally who ranks fifth with 22.3 points. Sabally is currently ranks seventh in the W in rebounds, averaging 9.0, followed by Natasha Howard who ranks 10th, averaging 8.3.
Dallas Wings Notes:
Dallas scored 27 points in the second quarter, their most in the second quarter so far this season.
The Wings held the Lynx to 18 points in the third quarter, the lowest of any opponent in the third quarter thus far.
The Dallas starters combined for 20 assists, led by Burton who finished with nine assists, which tied her career high.
The Wings dished out 22 assists, a season-high, on 33 made field goals.
The Wings had three players (Howard, Sabally & Ogunbowale) record over 20 points, while defensively the team held the Lynx top scorer to 18 points.
The Wings attempted five more free throws than the Lynx and shot 20-22 with Sabally going 6-6 from the line. The Wings currently lead the W in free throw percentage as they are shooting 89.7 percent.
The Wings forced 16 turnovers, an effort Burton and Sabally led with three steals each, and the team turned those 16 turnovers into 23 points off turnovers.
Up Next:
The Wings will hit the road once again and head to Washington D.C., where they will take on the Mystics on Friday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m. CT with coverage on ION.
Score after 1st Quarter: Dallas 25, Minnesota 31
Score at Halftime: Dallas 52, Minnesota 46
Score after 3rd Quarter: Dallas 69, Minnesota 64
Final Score: Dallas 94, Minnesota 89
POST GAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH LATRICIA TRAMMEL QUOTES
On how they handled a busy schedule this past weekend...
"With a championship mentality is how they responded. Yesterday we landed, came straight the arena, did rest and recovery, watched film and gave them a little time. Kalani Brown helped with that coming in, so I'm going to mention her probably 15 times in the post-game conference. I think it's their will to win. They want to win. They're definitely battling for each other, and they like each other. I'm extremely proud of them."
On how she feels about Kalani Brown's performance...
"Post-presence, a rebounder, someone that wants to be in the league and deserves to be in the league. I had her when she was a rookie, so that's full circle to come back and be with me here. She's been away, but she stayed ready. She kept her value up and she did what she was supposed to do when she was here the first time. That's really special because she's a force to be reckoned with."
On the team mentality of playing full four quarters...
"Obviously, there's things we're going to work on. I liked that second half, but in the second quarter coming out scoring 27 points. It's growth, right? It's still four games in and we still have to figure it out finishing off and winning all four quarters. That's something that we want to do. I've got to mention Satou [Sabally], career-high points in a quarter with 15 and a career-high in a half with 17. Howard, [ties her] career-high points in a half with 20 and Veronica tied her career-high with 9 assists. Crystal came in, clutch in the 4th, scoring all of her nine points to help us finish this off. If we can continue to move forward in a positive way like this and have these milestones, we're going to win a lot of games going forward."
On Howard's championship mentality...
"She's been there and done it. She's won multiple awards individually, but let's talk about the championships and the world championships that she has won. She's the calming voice. She's the vet. They respect her and they listen. She's been through it all. So, hearing her voice and she's even coming more into her voice. That's something that I've been really impressed with and it's something that I know that she's going to continue to strive for moving forward."
On the challenges of having a small roster size with injuries...
"I think I've said this before, I wish there was a developmental league or more roster spots. I mean whatever it is because there's a lot of players that are sitting at home that I think should be in the league, they can continue to develop and grow. I know that the league is going to figure something out. They have to, and I know they want to because I'm sure they believe in this as well and maybe even expansion, whatever it looks like. Yes, I think that we need more of that for sure.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 30, 2023
- Wings Take Down Lynx 94-89 - Dallas Wings
- Fever Fall Just Short in Connecticut - Indiana Fever
- Connecticut Sun Take Down Indiana Fever, 81-78 - Connecticut Sun
- Arike Ogunbowale Wins Western Conference Player of the Week - Dallas Wings
- Breanna Stewart Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week After Historic Start to 2023 Season - New York Liberty
- Dallas Wings Sign Kalani Brown - Dallas Wings
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