Seattle Storm Surge Past Dallas Wings in Second Half Push

DiJonai Carrington (No. 21) of the Dallas Wings put a Carrington Effect on the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

SEATTLE — Despite a promising first half and an aggressive rebounding effort, the Dallas Wings could not withstand a balanced second-half surge by the Seattle Storm, falling 83–77 on Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

With the loss, Dallas dropped to 1–7 on the season, while Seattle improved to an even 4–4, thanks to timely scoring and depth off the bench.

The Wings, already without point guards Tyasha Harris (knee) and rookie Paige Bueckers (concussion protocol), were led by DiJonai Carrington’s game-high 22 points in 38 minutes. Carrington also pulled down eight rebounds and tallied four assists, continuing her emergence as a two-way anchor for a shorthanded Dallas squad.

“She’s the head of the snake,” said forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. “We’re missing two of our point guards, so we are leaning on Rike [Arike Ogunbowale] and Nai [Carrington] to lead us.”

While Carrington delivered on both ends, the Wings struggled to close out possessions defensively, especially in the third quarter when Seattle mounted its comeback.

Dallas led 42–39 at halftime, despite shooting just 34.9 percent from the floor and hitting only 5-of-20 from beyond the arc. But the third quarter proved to be the turning point. Seattle outscored the Wings 23–14 in the frame, flipping momentum behind veteran guard Erica Wheeler and rookie Dominique Malonga.

Wheeler finished with 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds off the bench, while Malonga chipped in six points and three boards in just 11 minutes. Their production highlighted the Storm’s superior depth—Seattle’s bench outscored Dallas’ 30–14.

Chris Koclanes, head coach of the Wings, saw some positives with his team’s first 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game.

“They came out in the second half with a different energy about them,” Koclanes said. “They were extremely efficient… I thought we did a lot of good things early, disrupted Skylar [Diggins] and Nneka [Ogwumike] a little bit. But once they saw a few easy ones go in, they got momentum.”

The Storm shot 48.4 percent from the floor (30-of-62) and knocked down 40 percent of their threes, finishing 8-of-20 from distance. Gabby Williams led the way with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Ogwumike added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Diggins was quiet for most of the night but made critical plays late. Her scoop layup with 3:13 left in the fourth gave Seattle a 75–70 lead. Moments later, she found Wheeler for a corner three that pushed the margin to eight. From there, the Wings were forced to play catch-up.

Even in defeat, the Wings found bright spots, particularly on the offensive glass. Dallas pulled down 20 offensive rebounds—led by Maddy Siegrist’s six and Hines-Allen’s four—and held Seattle to just three, a rare feat against one of the league’s best rebounding teams.

“I think the other positive is that we had 20 O-boards [offensive boards],” Carrington said. “Though a lot of our shots were going in and out, we were still crashing the boards hard. And they are really good offensive rebounding team, and we held them to only three. That’s something we’ve been trying to emphasize.”

Despite the effort, the Wings could not overcome inefficient shooting and limited ball movement. Dallas made just 30 of 86 attempts and shot 25 percent from three. They recorded only 18 assists and turned the ball over 14 times, struggling to create consistent looks without a true point guard on the floor.

Ogunbowale, who entered the night averaging 20.7 points, was held to just 8 on 4-of-15 shooting and missed all three of her attempts from downtown. Siegrist added 11 points and nine rebounds, but needed 15 shots to get there. NaLyssa Smith had a quiet six-point, four-rebound effort in 23 minutes.

Hines-Allen believes the team’s current adversity is a proving ground.

Myisha Hines-Allen (No. 2) of the Dallas Wings galvanized her teammates against the Seattle Storm. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

“It all just comes down to what Nai was saying—just getting those stops,” she said. “That’s the next progression with this team. We’re all gonna need to step up next game.”

The game featured 11 lead changes and seven ties. Dallas’ largest lead came at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter when Siegrist connected on a turnaround jumper to make it 31–25. Seattle closed the half on a 14–11 run, then opened the third with a 7–2 burst to retake the lead.

From that point forward, the Storm never trailed by more than two possessions.

Koclanes praised his team’s intensity but acknowledged the margin for error is slim without Bueckers and Harris on the floor.

“The disruption was there defensively,” Koclanes said. “But that stretch where we were relentless attacking the paint and missed a bunch, it led to some easy offense the other way.”

The Wings had one last push late. Carrington’s driving layup cut the deficit to 81–77 with 30 seconds left. But Diggins calmly sank two free throws on the next possession to seal the game.

Li Yueru and Zia Cooke each added six and seven points respectively for Seattle, which tallied 22 assists and only 16 turnovers. Ezi Magbegor chipped in nine points and seven rebounds, anchoring the interior against Dallas’ aggressive frontcourt.

The Wings, meanwhile, saw just two points from Teaira McCowan and one field goal apiece from reserves Aziaha James and Kaila Charles. Luisa Geiselsöder made two threes and had six points in 22 minutes, offering a rare spark off the bench.

With the season nearly a quarter complete, Carrington remains hopeful about the team’s cohesion and growth.

“Each game we’re getting more comfortable playing together,” she said. “You can see that with less unforced turnovers. We’re building something.”

Next Stop

Dallas returns home to face the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday at College Park Center in Arlington. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT on ION.

Dallas Wings: By the Numbers

DiJonai Carrington (No. 21) and Luisa Geiselsöder (No. 18) of the Dallas Wings kept their team in the hunt against the Seattle Storm. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

Seattle Storm: By the Numbers