Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale Lead Dallas Wings to Win

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) of the Dallas Wings presses hard to score against the Toyota Antelopes on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at College Park Center. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

ARLINGTON, Texas — If Saturday night’s performance was any indication, the Dallas Wings are poised for big things in 2025. Led by the dynamic backcourt of Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, the Wings reached new heights en route to a commanding 119-52 preseason win over the Toyota Antelopes.

Applying some of the learning lessons from their May 2 preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Aces, the Dallas Wings dominated in every way possible on the court. With Dallas’ starting five tallying 65 of the 119 total points, it was clear that this final dress rehearsal served as a potential sneak peek into their exciting uptempo style.

Ogunbowale excelled with 17 points on 6-9 shooting, including a 4-7 performance beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Bueckers shined with 15 points, five boards and six dimes in 23 minutes of play.

Much has been made about the burgeoning backcourt tandem of Ogunbowale and Bueckers with their two-way, versatile playing style and incredible court vision. Considering the short window toward the regular season with two weeks of training camp and two preseason games, Ogunbowale recognized how the Wings have the makings to succeed on every aspect on the offensive front.

“I think it’s just more time together, we’re just gonna become more lethal,” Ogunbowale said. “Obviously, it’s a whole new team, whole new system, whole new players. So it was gonna take us time to get used to it.

“And we’re still not there, which is exciting because we still look solid from how short of a time we’ve been together. But just the more time we get to play and practice with each other, the better it’s gonna be because we have a lot of great pieces. So I’m excited about that.”

That excitement was on display when Bueckers fired a heads-up bullet pass for a thrilling basket with 2:16 left in the first quarter. Bueckers, the first overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, showcased her incredible basketball IQ with her assist to the Notre Dame icon, a harbinger of this backcourt’s intuitiveness.

Paige Bueckers (No. 5) quickly passes the ball to NaLyssa Smith (No. 1) of the Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

Beyond the offensive prowess and efficient defensive skills, Bueckers continues to embrace her role as both a leader and catalyst. With preseason play wrapping up, she recognizes the potential to rise up and collaborate with her fellow Wings teammates with a good heart and mindset to succeed.

“Like I talked about before, just finding that level of comfort every single day, and knowing it’s a very comfortable environment here,” Bueckers said. “It’s where we’re all receptive to learning, and we all just wanna win. And regardless of age, how many years we’ve been in the league, we’re willing to listen to each other, and we all just wanna win.

“We always know it’s never coming from an ill intention. So to be able and coach empowers us, to lead from where we are, regardless of experience. And so we all wanna be a player led team, regardless of who the voices are, so that’s always been the goal for us.”

Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes sang his praises for the Ogunbowale-Bueckers combination not only with scoring points but facilitating plays for their teammates. It seems the best is yet to come with a 42-game season set to start this coming Friday evening.

“They’re already incredible playmakers, and they’re just going to continue to get more and more comfortable in our system and the common shapes and areas that they are on the floor,” Koclanes said. “So [I’m] just extremely encouraged.”

Paige Bueckers (No. 1) immediately serves a dime to Arike Ogunbowale (No. 24) of the Dallas Wings for a first quarter bucket. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

All evening long, Dallas played at an uptempo pace much like stock car drivers never letting off the throttle on a hot lap at Daytona. Wings starters DiJonai Carrington and Myisha Hines-Allen each tallied 12 points while NaLyssa Smith contributed nine points.

Across the board, Dallas thrived on the offensive end with Maddy Siegrist carving 14 points, all inside the paint, while Teaira McCowan capitalizing with 12 points. Late in the game, Kaila Charles and Joyner Holmes prospered respectively with 10 and seven points while rookies Aziaha James, JJ Quinerly and Mai Yamamoto combining for 11 additional points.

Saturday evening’s preseason win was a testament to the Wings roster coming together and creating opportunities for themselves and their teammates. Koclanes is hopeful his squad can continue this energetic level of play as Dallas readies for the start of the new season.

“I just appreciated the desire, and I told them to keep that same energy all year,” Koclanes shared. “They showed it tonight, and so that’s what you can expect, and I’ve got to demand that of them, but it’s fun. And when they’re able to turn people over, you see how exciting it is when they can get out in the open floor and just play.”

Next Stop

As the Dallas Wings prepare to finalize their 2025 roster, they kickstart their WNBA regular season efforts on Friday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. CT at home against the Minnesota Lynx.

Toyota Antelopes: By the Numbers

Riko Furuki (No. 1) of the Toyota Antelopes is guarded by DiJonai Carrington (No. 21) of the Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

Dallas Wings: By the Numbers

Maddy Siegrist (No. 20) of the Dallas Wings demonstrated her confident drive to the net against the Toyota Antelopes. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)

 Starters

Bench