Arike Ogunbowale scored 27 points, and the Dallas defense rose to the occasion in the second half as the Wings rolled to a 92-82 win over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
The Wings (8-8) led by five at halftime but pushed their advantage to 17 midway through the third period, using a 13-0 run and defense that allowed Los Angeles to make just one of its first nine shots over the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter.
Dallas was ahead by 20 points early in the fourth quarter and cruised to its second straight victory.
Marina Mabrey added 21 points for the Wings while Allisha Gray added 20 points and a season-high 12 rebounds and Kayla Thornton hit for 15 points.
Nneka Ogwumike paced the Sparks (5-9) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Brittney Sykes adding 16 points, Chiney Ogwumike getting 12 points and 10 boards, and Katie Lou Samuelson tallying 11 points.
Los Angeles has dropped four of its past six contests, with a 93-91 victory at home over Dallas on May 31 as its most recent win.
The Wings led by as many as eight points in the first quarter before Los Angeles pulled to 25-22 after the initial 10 minutes of play.
The Sparks leapfrogged to the front after Sykes’ 3-pointer at the 8:32 mark of the second period. The game went back and forth throughout the rest of the half before two free throws by Thornton, another from the foul line by Teaira McCowan, and a 3-point play by Gray, the latter with 0.7 seconds remaining, allowed Dallas to take a 50-45 advantage at the break.
Ogunbowale led all players with 17 points before halftime, with Thornton adding 12 and Gray hitting for 11 for Dallas.
Sykes led the Sparks with nine points off the bench in the first half. Los Angeles’ reserve players outscored the Wings’ bench 22-2 in the first two quarters.
The Wings outscored Los Angeles 26-15 in the third period and were up 76-60 heading into the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
