ARLINGTON, TX — It required two overtime periods, but the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 97-90 on Sunday. The Wings had opportunities to clinch the victory but fell short in the end. It was a frustrating defeat, as the Wings fell to 3-7 overall.
“It's always tough when you play a close game like this, double-overtime,” Maddy Siegrist said after the game. “Like you have multiple opportunities to win it. We're getting a lot of end-of-game experience. So I guess from the younger players that's all we could ask for is to try to build on it. You want to be playing your best basketball in September, October… You want to be playing it in June, but that's okay. We're gonna take this and learn from it for sure.”
“Yeah, I mean we will just keep supporting each other,” Sevgi Uzun added. “Trying to learn from our mistakes everyday.”
Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 25 points and 10 assists. She added seven rebounds and foul steals as she continues to play at an elite level.
Teaira McCowan recorded 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Siegrist added 12 points and three rebounds, while Uzun finished the game with 11 points. Monique Billings had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double in the defeat.
Despite a number of impressive individual performances, the Wings ultimately lost in heartbreaking fashion.
Wings drop overtime thriller
The Wings reached the postseason in 2023. They were hoping to run it back in 2024, and in all reality they still can. It has been a disappointing start to the new campaign, however.
Injuries have been a talking point for the team. Stars such as Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard's absences have left the Wings in a difficult position. Again, Arike Ogunbowale is playing at an elite level but Dallas has depth concerns at the moment.
Sunday's game did not end how the Wings wanted it to, but they displayed resiliency nonetheless.
“Double-overtime, some incredible moments obviously,” Wings head coach Latricia Trammell said. “Love the fight, love the determination to be even in that position. We limited their threes. That's something they talked about of shooting 40-30 threes per game. They live and die by it. So to hold them just to 27 percent I thought was extremely well. Our bench out-scored their bench for the fifth time this season which is progress, which I love.
“Maddy, I'm gonna mention her right here, double-digit points for the seventh straight. And Sev (Uzun), I mean she's doing an incredible job.”
Wings upcoming schedule
Dallas will now have a few days to rest and recover. Additionally, the Wings schedule is a bit more favorable moving forward with their next two games set to be played at home. On Thursday, the Wings will host the Seattle Storm. Then on Saturday the Connecticut Sun will travel to Arlington.
Dallas is looking to jump back into the win column. The team is currently in the middle of a five-game losing streak. Protecting home court is of the utmost importance, especially when your team is battling adversity.
The Wings will attempt to snap their losing streak on Thursday against the Storm.
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