Wings Topple Indiana in Season Opener
WNBA Dallas Wings

Wings Topple Indiana in Season Opener

Published on May 9, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release


Indianapolis, IN - The Dallas Wings (1-0) took home a 107-104 victory over the Indiana Fever (0-1) in their 2026 regular season opener on the road in Indianapolis on Saturday. Head Coach Jose Fernandez picked up his first win at the helm of the Wings in the down-to-the-wire contest. With the win, Dallas is now 3-1 in their last four regular season opening games, dating back to the 2023 season. Saturday's tilt featured a sold-out crowd of 17,274 and aired nationally on ABC.

Franchise all-time leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale paced the Wings in the win in her first game since August 10, 2025, after she missed the final 12 games of the 2025 season with injury. She finished with 22 points, one rebound and five assists in 28 minutes of action. The veteran guard went 8/15 shooting, including 3/7 from three-point territory.

Paige Buckers added 20 points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal in the first game of her sophomore campaign. Bueckers entered the game eight points shy of 700 in career and eclipsed the mark on a 16-foot jumper with 6:02 to go in the first half. Veteran guard Odyssey Sims also notched 20 points, along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals in her first regular season game with the Wings since 2024.

Rounding out Dallas's double-digit scorers was Jessica Shepared who finished one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double with 13 points, a team-high nine rebounds, a team-high nine assists and two steals, while Aziaha James notched 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in 15 minutes off the bench.

The Wings shot 59.1% (39/66) from the floor in the win, marking just the sixth time in franchise history and first since 2023 the team has shot 59% or better in a regular season contest. The 59.1% field goal percentage is also good for second-best in WNBA history by any team in a season opener.

Dallas went 12/23 (52.2%) from beyond the three-point line in the game while limiting Indiana to just 29.2% (7/24) from three-point range on the day. Since the team's move to North Texas, the Wings have shot 52.2% or better from three-point territory on just 12 occasions during regular season play.

Dallas outscored Indiana on the fast break (25-12) and in bench points (26-22), while Indiana held the advantage in the paint (62-44) and on second chance opportunities (22-7). The Fever outrebounded the Wings by one, 28-27, but the Wings dished out three most assists, 26-23.

The game marked the first season opener in WNBA history where both teams scored 100 points. Indiana was led by veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell who finished with 30 points, three rebounds and four assists. Center Aliyah Boston added 23 points and guard Caitilin Clark notched 20 points and a team-high seven assists in the game for the Fever.

The Dallas Wings return to North Texas for their home opener on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. CT to host the Atlanta Dream at College Park Center.

Game Leaders

Points Rebounds Assists

Indiana Mitchell (30) Hines-Allen (6) Clark (7)

Dallas Ogunbowale (23) Shepard (9) Shepard (9)

First Quarter: Dallas 27, Indiana 25

Dallas featured a starting lineup of Odyssey Sims, Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith in their first regular season game of the season. The Wings held a one-point advantage heading into the first media timeout, 17-16, as the two teams traded baskets to open the contest. Sims led Dallas in the beginning minutes with six points, going 2/2 from beyond the three-point arc.

The Wings went on a quick 6-2 spurt out of the first media break to take a five-point lead, 23-18, but the Fever closed the first on a 7-4 run to close the gap back to two, 27-25, heading into the second. Sims led Dallas with eight points in the quarter, while Maddy Siegrist added seven points, one rebound and one assist off the bench.

Second Quarter: Dallas 33, Indiana 26

The Fever opened the second on a 6-0 run to take a four-point lead, 31-27, but the Wings responded with a 10-6 run of their own to tie the game 37-37, heading into the media break of the quarter. Bueckers had four of Dallas's ten to open the second. An and-one conversion from Ogunbowale gave the Wings the lead back, 40-37, with 5:19 to play in the half. The game was tied 48-48 with 1:56 left in the quarter, but Dallas closed the half on a 12-3 run to take a 60-51 lead into the locker room.

Ogunbowale led the Wings with 13 points, one rebound and five assists at the break, while Bueckers and Shepard each notched 10 points through two quarters of action. Both teams shot over 50% in the first half, as the Wings went 22/37 (59.5%) and the Fever shot 18/32 (56.2%) from the floor. Dallas outscored Indiana, 14-4, on the fast break in the first half, while Indiana held the slight advantage in the paint, 24-18. 30 of the Wings' 60 first-half points came from beyond the arc, as the team shot 10/16 (62.5%) from three-point territory through two quarters.

Third Quarter: Dallas 20, Indiana 29

The Fever opened the second half on a 6-0 run to cut the Wings' lead to three, 60-57. The Wings responded on a 7-2 run to push the advantage back up to eight, 67-59, but the Fever rattled off eight unanswered to tie the game, 67-67, with 4:48 to play in the third. Both teams notched 13 points each to close the third, with the game tied heading into the fourth, 80-80. Sims led Dallas with seven points in the quarter, while Bueckers added six. The Wings shot 46.7% (7/15) in the third, while the Fever shot 57.1% (12/21) in the ten minutes coming out of the locker room.

Fourth Quarter: Dallas 27, Indiana 24

Indiana struck first in the fourth with a driving lay-up from Aliyah Boston to take an 82-80 lead, but Dallas responded with a 6-0 run behind a four-point play from Aziaha James and a fast break layup from Ogunbowale, taking an 86-82 advantage and forcing the Fever to burn a timeout with 8:57 to play in the game. Dallas enjoyed a seven-point lead with 4:05 to go in the game, 97-90, but Indiana closed the gap once again, after a 7-2 run put them within two, 99-97, with 2:52 to go. The closest Indiana got down the stretch was within one, 101-100, on a missed free throw put-back from Boston with 1:32 left in the fourth.

Dallas led by four, 106-102, with 25.3 seconds on the clock after Shepard made one of two free throws. The Fever's Mikayla Timpson made a layup to make it a one possession game, 106-104, on the other end and then Sims was fouled with 13.2 seconds to go. Sims knocked down one of two free throws to give Dallas the 107-104 lead and Indiana's Caitlin Clark missed a three-point attempt to tie the game with 7.1 seconds on the clock. Bueckers was fouled with 1.6 seconds to go but missed both free throw attempts, giving Indiana a chance to tie the game at the other end, however a last second chance from the Fever's Kelsey Mitchell was off the mark.

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 9, 2026


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