Dallas Wings Stumble to Indiana Fever on the Road, 102-83

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) of the Dallas Wings scored 21 points against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

INDIANAPOLIS — The Dallas Wings endured a second-quarter collapse and couldn’t recover in a 102–83 road loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, despite a team-high 21 points from rookie Paige Bueckers.

The Wings (6–16) opened the game competitively and stayed within two possessions early in the second quarter, trailing 33–29 with 8:50 to go. But from there, the Fever (11–10) rattled off a relentless 36–15 run to close the half, fueled by a barrage of transition buckets and sharp ball movement. Indiana’s efficient offense made a tight contest into a 64–42 halftime deficit.

Bueckers led Dallas in scoring for the second straight outing, going 9-of-15 from the field with four assists, four rebounds and two steals. She carried much of the offensive burden in the absence of a consistent shooting threat from the Wings’ veteran core. Arike Ogunbowale, returning after missing time with an ankle issue, struggled throughout, finishing scoreless from the field on 10 shot attempts and settling for two free throws.

Despite Bueckers’ efficiency, the Wings were undone by 17 turnovers and inconsistent effort in transition. Following the game, she pointed to the breakdowns in defensive focus and positioning as the tipping point in the second quarter.

“Mostly just transition defense and us not getting back,” Bueckers said. “Maybe crashing too many or just not having two people back, rushing up to the ball instead of getting back. And then just, yeah, just on missed shots and on turnovers, they just got out, got easy [buckets].”

Head coach Chris Koclanes echoed that sentiment, adding that Indiana’s physicality disrupted the Wings’ offensive rhythm and stifled any hope of a comeback.

“I thought their physicality really bothered us and took away our flow and continuity,” Koclanes said. “They got into us, made our lives hard when we were trying to go set screens. Pushing us off our pads to be able to even set and use [those] screens. But again, there’s no excuse for not getting back. We could have had greater effort more consistently in transition.”

Indiana was led by veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell, who poured in 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Caitlin Clark added 14 points and a career-high 13 assists, commanding the Fever’s offense with precision and poise. Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston added 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Sophie Cunningham chipped in 13 off the bench.

The Fever’s offensive success was largely predicated on rapid ball movement, backdoor cuts and capitalizing on mismatches. The team recorded 30 assists on 40 made field goals, tying a franchise record. Their 64 first-half points were the most scored by any WNBA team in a half this season.

Li Yueru, one of the few bright spots inside for Dallas, contributed 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. She served as a reliable option around the rim but acknowledged that Dallas struggled on the defensive end throughout the night.

Li Yueru (No. 28) of the Dallas Wings scored 16 points and five rebounds against the Indiana Fever. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

“First thing [is to] improve the transition defense,” Yueru said postgame. “We had some pickup decoding precision in the first half and tried to get back in the second half, but we still have some problems. I think we’ll improve that going back home.”

Off the bench, Aziaha James added 11 points, hitting three of her four three-point attempts. JJ Quinerly also reached double figures with 13 points and four assists, showing flashes of composure amid the storm. But collectively, Dallas couldn’t mount enough stops or second-half consistency to threaten Indiana’s lead.

Bueckers, who has taken on a steady leadership role in her first pro season, took ownership of the team’s response during Indiana’s run. She said it’s important to prevent lapses in effort and mindset when adversity hits.

“Not allowing for slippage. And when slippage does happen, we huddle and talk about it right away and don’t let a six-point run turn into a 15-point run,” Bueckers said. “In the second quarter, I felt like I could have done a better job keeping us all together, really emphasizing getting back in transition defense and calling it out more.”

While the Wings remain in the midst of a rebuild, Bueckers reinforced that the process of growth comes through weathering difficult losses and staying together through adversity.

“There’s no skipping steps to building what we want to build here,” she said. “Adversity—everybody goes through it. That’s why when teams win a championship, they talk about the adversity that they faced to get to it. We’re not going to get out of our process, get out of what we do every single day just because the results haven’t shown up yet. It’s early, and this is just part of the journey. We are going to stick together through it, continue to encourage each other, push each other, hold each other accountable.”

Koclanes also addressed Ogunbowale’s return, noting that the team is working to ease her back into rhythm after missing recent action.

“You could tell she hadn’t played in a bit,” Koclanes said. “I wish some would have fallen early for her. But it’s a balance. She’s going to get people’s best, they’re going to be really physical with her, not allow her to move. So she’s got to continue to find that balance of working hard to get up the floor, get into spots, and get off actions. And I’ve got to continue to help her.”

Bueckers added that while the shots didn’t fall for Ogunbowale, her presence and effort meant something to the team.

“This was the best I’ve seen her respond to that stuff,” Bueckers said. “It might not have been her night shooting the ball, but the way she continued to stay in the game, not let it affect her effort on both ends of the floor, that was huge for me. We talked about it as individuals — how we want to stay unaffected through the refs, missed calls, missed defensive possessions. So just want to give a shout out to her, because I thought the way she stayed within the game — that’s something I saw.”

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) of the Dallas Wings knows her team’s area of improvements after Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

Dallas shot 47.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three, solid numbers that were ultimately overshadowed by Indiana’s relentless execution. The Fever hit 51.9 percent of their shots and outscored Dallas in points off turnovers, 23–9.

In the fourth quarter, Bueckers and Quinerly briefly trimmed the deficit to 18, but Indiana responded with Boston’s free throws and Mitchell’s running layup to close the door on any comeback hopes.

With the loss, the Wings fell to 2–10 on the road and dropped both games against the Fever this season.

Indiana continues to build momentum behind the dynamic backcourt of Clark and Mitchell. The Fever also improved to 7–6 at home and move above .500.

As for Dallas, the team remains focused on growth over results, knowing that every experience — even a 19-point loss — offers a learning opportunity as they mold a young core around Bueckers, Ogunbowale, and Yueru.

Next Stop

Dallas returns home for a Wednesday matchup, where they’ll look to regroup and reinforce their defensive identity, particularly in transition — a recurring theme in recent outings — against the Las Vegas Aces (10-11) at 7 p.m. CT at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, their final game before the WNBA All-Star Game break.

Dallas Wings: By the Numbers

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) led all Dallas Wings scorers with points tallied against the Indiana Fever. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

Indiana Fever: By the Numbers