The visiting Dallas Wings look to build on their first victory of the year when they square off against the new-look New York Liberty on Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn.
The Wings (1-1) arrive on the heels of Friday’s rousing come-from-behind 94-86 victory against the previously unbeaten Mystics at Washington, D.C.
Dallas trailed by 15 points in the second quarter and by three at halftime before talking charge in the third quarter, outscoring Washington 18-7 over the final six minutes of that period. The Wings eventually built their advantage to as many as 17 points in the fourth and outlasted a late surge by the Mystics.
Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 27 points as all five starters scored in double figures. Allisha Gray added 21 points while Isabelle Harrison had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Kayla Thornton scored 12 points and Marina Mabrey hit for 10.
Tyasha Harris racked up 10 assists for Dallas, the first player since 2018 to dish out double-digit assists for the Wings.
“We are great as a team — as individuals we will be good, but we won’t be great,” Dallas coach Vickie Johnson said. “We will win games, but we won’t win a championship. That was the message and I think the players got it. Offensively and defensively we corrected mistakes.”
The Liberty (1-2), still finding their footing under new coach Sandy Brondello, lost at home in overtime to Indiana 92-86 on Friday to drop their second straight game. New York rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to force the extra period but could not make the plays at the end.
Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 31 points, including a tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation. Betnijah Laney and Stefani Dolson added 16 and 12 points, respectively, for New York.
Ionescu was 11 of 20 from the floor and canned five shots from beyond the arc after being held to just two points in New York’s 33-point loss at Chicago on Wednesday.
“Our versatility and depth will step forward as the season moves on,” Brondello said. “We will go back to work and get better.”
–Field Level Media
