Seattle Storm Stymie Dallas Wings, 92-84

Kalani Brown (No. 21) of the Dallas Wings banked eight points off the bench against the Seattle Storm on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

ARLINGTON, Texas — In the fifth and final WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game for the Dallas Wings, it was another gallant effort in front of the College Park Center faithful. However, on Thursday night, a late run was not enough for Dallas, falling to the Seattle Storm, 92-84.

In the opening quarter of the Wings’ 11th game of the 2024 season, it was a closely, hard fought start between the Western Conference teams. Teaira McCowan and Monique Billings pushed the Wings to an early 6-0 lead in the first 1:17 of the game.

Then, Seattle came storming in with Ezi Magbegor and Jewell Loyd draining shots inside the perimeter, attacking the paint with confidence.

Not to be outdone, Seattle and Dallas traded punches, blow-by-blow, making mid-range to close-range shots. Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist made some noise, particularly with Siegirst tallying eight of her 16 points in the first 3:05 of the second quarter.

Perhaps the play of the game came with 4:49 left in the second quarter, when Ogunbowale shot the longest shot of the Wings’ season with a 41′ three pointer. The shot, made during practice, paid off as Ogunbowale immediately made her way to the defensive end of the court on the Storm’s next possession.

Billings and Ogunbowale’s contributions in the final 2:58 of the second quarter. This kept the Wings within eight points of the Storm after the end of the first half with the score being 48-40.

Going into the third quarter, McCowan, Siegrist and Billings kept Dallas within eight points of Seattle. Loyd, Nneka Ogwumike, and Skylar Diggins-Smith extended Seattle’s lead before Ogunbowale and Kalani Brown of the Wings ended the third quarter to make it a 71-62 game.

Despite Billings and Ogunbowale’s early baskets in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Jordan Horston, Sami Whitcomb and Diggins-Smith’s offensive prowess proved too much for Dallas’ gallant effort. With 5:43 left in the fourth quarter, Seattle was up by 13 points over Dallas.

Arike Ogunbowale (No. 24) of the Dallas Wings scored 24 points against the Seattle Storm on Thursday, Jun 13, 2024, at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

A late, valiant effort by McCowan, Ogunbowale and Jacy Sheldon resulted in Dallas going on a 7-2 run over Seattle in the final 2:14 of the quarter. Ogwumike and Magbegor essentially sealed the game for Seattle by making their respective free throws when fouled by McCowan and Ogunbowale.

Lou Lopez Senechal made a 27′ three pointer to make the final score closer than the actual result with Seattle prevailing over Dallas, 92-84.

Following the game, in spite of another heartbreaking sixth consecutive loss for Dallas, Brown considered a genuine, resonating takeaway for her team.

“It’s not just Seattle. We’ve been in all of these games with a lot of these vet groups that’s been playing together for years,” Brown said. “So I feel like once we, we’re still learning each other.

“So I’m coming from college, have never played (in the) bigs before. I’m gonna just emphasize that. So you know, it’s a learning curve. Honestly, we’re just going through growing pains right now.”

Latricia Trammell, head coach of the Dallas Wings, praised McCowan and Brown, the team’s centers, for their hustle and effort throughout the game.

“We have the best post players, in my opinion, in the league,” Trammell said. “Both of them feed off each other in a positive way. I thought they did really well this evening, really establishing the paint, that they owned it.

“And so I was really proud of their effort. We had 44 points in the paint and Teaira had 19 of them and Kalani was right behind. So, it was a good effort for them.”

Beyond McCowan and Brown’s efforts in this game, Trammell pointed out how her team’s roster is gaining experience and building chemistry with each game, pushing hard to consistently win each time out.

“It was a two point game,” she recalled. “A lot of people don’t realize, we have the youngest team in the league. Some people may not realize that. And so what we’re doing and being in every game, we’re not happy with it because we want to win. That’s our job and that’s our ultimate goal.

“But for what these players are doing is pretty special. Every time we step on the floor, we’re competing, we’re grinding and these young ladies have the will to win.”

Brown echoed Trammell’s perspective, focusing more on how the team’s youth and relative inexperience is not a crutch, but a source of strength for long-term success, a caveat not lost upon her and her Wings teammates thus far in the 2024 season.

“One of our controllables is breathing life into each other, and we’ve been harping on that especially through this time,” Brown said. “We can harp on the excuse of, ‘Oh, we’re down a couple bodies,’ but we’re in every game, as young as we are, as inexperienced as we are, we’re in every game with vet squads.

“I mean, you can’t deny that. So it’s not like we just have a little slippage to get together. But like I said, Coach is breathing life into us every day, spewing positivity. That’s all we can do through this time.”

The Rundown

Monique Billings (No. 25) of the Dallas Wings attempts to drive it into the basket against Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas,. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)

Seattle Storm: By the Numbers

Dallas Wings: By the Numbers

Jacy Sheldon (No. 4) of the Dallas Wings sizes up Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Seattle Storm on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. (Photo: Dallas Wings Basketball)