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    The Dallas Wings needed answers. Several of their stars answered simultaneously.

    Arike Ogunbowale scored a season-high 32 points and moved past 5,000 career points, Jessica Shepard finished with a career-high 26 and Awak Kuier set a franchise record with seven blocks as Dallas beat the Indiana Fever 91-85 Thursday night at American Airlines Center.

    The announced attendance of 20,297 was the Wings’ second-highest crowd ever at a home game.

    The win snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak, gave Dallas the season series for the first time since 2023 and improved the Wings to 21-16. Dallas is just one win away from tying the franchise record for wins in a season.

    Jessica Shepard recorded 26 points and Awak Kuier set a franchise record with seven blocks during the win at American Airlines Center. Credit: Darah Hubbard

    “It was definitely big,” Ogunbowale said. “Another team just clinched on us, and we didn’t want to be the team that teams are clinching on. We kind of wanted to take it personal.”

    Dallas came into the game following a 78-70 loss to Golden State, where the Valkyries clinched a spot in the playoffs. Dallas had lost to Indiana 98-87 just six days earlier.

    The Wings were without Azzi Fudd and Aziaha James. Fudd will miss the rest of the season after experiencing continued soreness in her right knee. James was out again with a lower left leg injury.

    Shepard set the early pace. After missing her first shot of the game, she made her next 10 and scored 22 points in the first half. Dallas fell behind 22-18 to start the game but outscored Indiana 24-20 in the second quarter to go into halftime tied at 42.

    “I think I just wanted to be more aggressive,” Shepard said. “Obviously, coming off the Golden State game and coming back from injury, just kind of finding my footing again, and my teammates did a great job of finding me in those openings.”

    Shepard finished 11-of-16 from the field and added eight rebounds. She had previously scored 22 points seven times in her career.

    Ogunbowale took over in the second half. She scored 25 of her points after halftime and helped Dallas take an 11-point lead.

    This victory snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak and improved Dallas to 21-16. Credit: Darah Hubbard

    Her first field goal of the night moved her past 5,000 career points, just three days after recording her 1,000th career assist against Golden State. Ogunbowale became the third-fastest player in WNBA history to reach both 5,000 points and 1,000 assists. She reached the milestones in 261 games. Her 32-point performance also gave her the second-most 30-point games by a guard in WNBA history.

    “It’s definitely special,” Ogunbowale said. “There’s a lot of greats that have been in this league, a lot of people that have been scoring. To be in the record book so far and to do it with the franchise that drafted me is definitely special.”

    While Shepard and Ogunbowale carried the Wings offensively, Kuier owned the paint defensively.

    The 6-foot-6 forward finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and seven blocks. Kuier broke the Wings’ single-game record of five blocks.

    She had five blocks before halftime and continued to challenge shots in the second half, even when she was not credited with a block.

    “I felt like I needed to be there and help in the paint,” Kuier said. “They have really good drivers, so I just made sure that I was there all the time.”

    Wings coach Jose Fernandez said Kuier’s presence impacted the game more than the box score showed.

    “I thought she was amazing tonight,” Fernandez said. “I think her athleticism and versatility, just coming off her player on the wing, caused a lot of disruption. Even on shots she didn’t block, she contested a lot of them.”

    Dallas also had success limiting Caitlin Clark. Clark finished with 10 points and nine assists but went just 4-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 on 3-pointers.

    Fernandez said the Wings wanted to try to get the ball out of Clark’s hands in middle pick-and-roll situations and make Indiana beat them with its other players.

    Kelsey Mitchell nearly led Indiana to victory. She scored a game-high 37 points on 9-of-18 shooting and was 15-of-15 from the free-throw line. The performance marked her WNBA-record 21st consecutive game with at least 20 points.

    Aliyah Boston added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Makayla Timpson finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

    Dallas held Indiana to 40.9% shooting from the field and outscored the Fever 46-28 in the paint. The Wings also won the rebounding battle and held advantages in second-chance points and fast-break points.

    Paige Bueckers added 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. She surpassed 700 points for the season and set a Wings single-season record with 204 assists.

    Dallas led 66-61 heading into the fourth quarter and was able to withstand Indiana’s late scoring. Mitchell did her best to lead a comeback, but Dallas made enough plays down the stretch.

    “We wanted to come in and kind of take it personal,” Shepard said. “We knew that we had been on a little skid here, and we wanted to make sure that we showed up and put together 40 minutes.”

    Dallas hopes to build off their win when they take on the Seattle Storm at 3 p.m. CT at College Park Center on Sunday. The nationally televised game on NBA TV is the Wings’ second of four straight home games. 

    “We’re still very much in it,” Ogunbowale said. “We could get eighth place, we could get higher. You never know, but we’re definitely not done.”

    The post Wings Turn Milestone Night Into Statement Win Over Fever appeared first on Dallas Weekly.

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