Wings, Storm both hope to move on from ragged opening games

The Dallas Wings and Seattle Storm look to rebound from blowout losses when they square off on Monday in a Western Conference clash in Arlington, Texas.

The teams are trying to adapt to new rosters, with that unfamiliarity leading to the one-sided setbacks in their respective season openers.

The Wings (0-1) hope for better results after a 99-84 loss at home to Minnesota on Friday. The defeat to the 2024 league finalists spoiled the WNBA debut of rookie Paige Bueckers, the first pick in last month's draft.

Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 16 points while DiJonai Carrington, who was brought to the Wings in a trade with Connecticut, finished with 15 points. Bueckers added 10 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes of court time.

"Room to grow," she said afterward. "You've got to have a starting point."

Minnesota outscored the Wings by 15 points in a dominant third quarter and led by as many as 21 before cruising under the wire.

"It's a learning process," Dallas first-year coach Chris Koclanes said. "We're not going to be perfect early. We're going to learn and get better from it and how we can best support these players and put them in positions to be successful. Ultimately, I'm just encouraged."

Of the 10 players that saw the floor for Dallas on Friday night, only three played on last year's team.

The Storm also lost their opener, falling 81-59 at Phoenix on Saturday. Skylar Diggins scored 21 points for Seattle (0-1) and Nneka Ogwumike added 12 in a game the Storm never led and shot just 33.3 percent from the floor.

"We're not going to be married to this first game," Diggins said after the loss. "In this league, you have to be able to respond quickly. We have 48 hours to get back on the court (on Monday in Dallas) and go for a different outcome."

Seattle was just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc (17.6 percent), a stat that's indicative of a team that was trying to shoot itself back in the game after trailing by as many as 27 points.

--Field Level Media