Arike Ogunbowale off to hot start as Wings take on Dream

Field Level Media|published: Mon 20th May, 17:07 2024

May 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) reacts after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Sky at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The short-handed Dallas Wings will look to get back on the winning track when they hit the road to play the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday in College Park, Ga.

The teams have split their two games to start the season, with Dallas playing at home and the Dream on the road for the first week.

Atlanta (1-1) opens its home schedule after an 88-85 loss at Phoenix on Saturday. Allisha Gray led the Dream with 22 points, while Rhyne Howard had 21 and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus scored 18, including a late basket.

The Dream roared to the front with an 18-2 run to open the fourth quarter and led by four points late in the game. But Atlanta surrendered a 7-0 Phoenix run and couldn't produce the needed comeback in the final seconds.

"The energy we had in the second half was a lot better, the fight that we had in that second half was a lot better," Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright said after the loss. I'm hoping that we take this loss and learn from it, right? We understand that we can't have the start that we need to have."

The Wings (1-1) open a season-long five-game road trip following an 83-74 home loss to Chicago on Saturday after beating the Sky in the teams' opener on Wednesday. Arike Ogunbowale poured in 35 points to lead Dallas in the setback and has amassed 60 points in the Wings' first two contests.

Ogunbowale hit six 3-pointers in the Saturday loss and Dallas led by as many as 14 points but were outscored by 17 in the final quarter. The Wings went scoreless for 5:14 in the deciding fourth-quarter stretch.

Kalani Brown added 11 points for Dallas, which was without Natasha Howard after she fractured her foot Wednesday in the Wings' win. Howard is expected to miss three to six weeks.

"It's just part of the process," Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said of the team's adjustments with its short bench. "What a great opportunity for our young ones that haven't played a long time to actually get on the floor. So, we're going to continue to try to give everyone a run for their money."

--Field Level Media