ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale had 23 points, five 3-pointers and nine assists, veteran guard Odyssey Sims added 18 points in her season debut and the Dallas Wings snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 94-88 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday.
Dallas won for the first time since May 26. Minnesota was coming off a 94-89 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday for its first Commissioner’s Cup championship.
Dallas trailed 45-30 with 3:22 left in the second quarter before scoring the next 15 points, spanning the halftime break, to tie it at 45-all early in the third. Monique Billings made a basket with 1:34 left in the third to give the Wings their first lead, 68-67, since it was 2-1.
Minnesota pulled within three points with a minute remaining in the fourth, but Jacy Sheldon answered with a wide open 3-pointer at the other end to cap the scoring.
Sims, who signed a hardship contract on Tuesday, scored nine of her points in the fourth, including two driving layups in the final 3:10.
Teaira McCowan had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Billings finished with 14 points for Dallas. Ogunbowale reached the 20-point mark for the 14th time this season. Sims finished 8 of 12 from the field to help the Wings record their most bench points this season with 36.
ACES 95, SKY 83
CHICAGO (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 31 points, Jackie Young had 22 and Kelsey Plum added 21 as Las Vegas beat Chicago despite rookie Angel Reese’s ninth-straight double-double for the Sky.
Reece’s 18 points and 11 rebounds tied Candace Parker for the WNBA’s longest streak of double-doubles in a season. Parker did it in 2015 and she had a streak of 12 across two seasons (2009-10).
Wilson scored 15 points in the first quarter, Young had 12 in the third and Plum added 16 in the fourth. It was the 18th 30-point game of Wilson’s career and 12th this season with at least 25.
Olympian Chelsea Gray, in her third-game back from injury that coincides with the Aces’ three-game winning streak, had another solid game with eight points, six rebounds and five assists. Kiah Stokes had six of the 11 blocks for Las Vegas, which had five more 3-pointers and made nine more free throws than Chicago.
Marina Mabrey scored 21 points to lead the Sky but only had eight after the first quarter. Chennedy Carter added 20 points.
SUN 94, MYSTICS 91, OT
WASHINGTON (AP) — DeWanna Bonner had 24 points and 10 rebounds, DiJonai Carrington scored 10 of her 22 points in overtime, and Connecticut beat Washington.
Carrington made a wide-open 3-pointer with 2:43 left in overtime and stole the ball at the other end, leading to a fast-break layup for an 89-85 lead. Carrington added another 3-pointer with 56.4 seconds remaining for a 92-88 lead before Myisha Hines-Allen answered with a three-point play at the other end.
Washington called a timeout with 15.5 seconds left, trailing 92-91. Ariel Atkins dribbled into the lane and passed it out to the corner for Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who was short on a 3-point attempt.
Carrington made two free throws with 3.9 left for a three-point lead and Julie Vanloo’s halfcourt heave was not close at the buzzer.
Tyasha Harris added 23 points and four steals for Connecticut.
STORM 89, FEVER 77
SEATTLE (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 23 of her season-high 34 points in the first half and played most of the game with a swollen left eye, and Seattle held Caitlin Clark to just three points in the second half of a win over Indiana.
Seattle (11-6) improved to 2-0 in the beginning stages of a WNBA-record nine-game homestand that won’t see the Storm head on the road again until mid-July.
Clark finished with 15 points and seven assists, playing before another sold-out crowd with many fans wearing various No. 22 jerseys with her name across the back.
But it was Loyd who put on the show.
Loyd made five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes and her 23 first-half points were the second-most by any player in the WNBA this season. She also missed nearly five minutes of the half after getting inadvertently hit around the left eye late in the first quarter.
Loyd finished with six 3-pointers and made 10 of 15 shots overall. It was her second game this season with at least 30 points — both coming against Indiana. She has 23 career games of 30 or more points, tied with Tina Charles for sixth-most in league history.
The Associated Press
