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08/20 21:31 CDT Ogunbowale and Shepard lead Wings over Fever 91-85 on off
shooting night for Bueckers and Clark
Ogunbowale and Shepard lead Wings over Fever 91-85 on off shooting night for
Bueckers and Clark
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
DALLAS (AP) --- Arike Ogunbowale scored a season-high 32 points, Jessica
Shepard added a career-best 26 and the Dallas Wings beat Indiana 91-85 on
Thursday night, ending the Fever's five-game winning streak.
Caitlin Clark had 10 points and nine assists and Paige Bueckers finished with
13 points and eight assists on a rough shooting night for both former No. 1
overall picks six days after each scored 29 in the Fever's 98-87 victory.
They combined to go 9 of 31 from the field two weeks before their expected
debut --- alongside Indiana forward Aliyah Boston --- on the senior U.S.
women's national team at the FIBA World Cup.
Kelsey Mitchell tied her season high with 37 points, getting 21 before halftime
to set the WNBA record with her 21st consecutive game with at least 20 points.
Mitchell, who topped the previous mark of Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, was
4 of 7 from 3-point range and made all 15 of her free throws.
Awak Kuier had 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven blocks as the
Wings won for just the fourth time in 12 games since a six-game winning streak
that was their longest since moving to Texas 10 years ago.
The needed boost for Dallas came at the sold out home of the Dallas Mavericks.
While there were plenty of Fever fans wearing Clark's familiar No. 22, the home
team had the backing of Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban in a courtside seat
and 2025 No. 1 overall pick and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg in
a suite.
Kuier had five blocks before halftime to tie her previous best from 2021, when
the native of Egpyt was a 20-year-old rookie.
The Wings had matched their biggest lead of five when they started the fourth
quarter with Bueckers on the bench.
Shepard, who had eight rebounds and four assists, and Alysha Clark scored
before Clark hit a 3-pointer. After Odyssey Sims hit two free throws and
Bueckers returned, Bueckers hit a jumper for Dallas' first 10-point lead at
74-64.
The Fever missed their first chance to set a franchise record for victories,
holding at last year's total of 24.
It was the first game for the Wings since they announced that this year's No. 1
overall pick, Azzi Fudd, will miss the rest of the season to undergo
arthroscopic surgery on her ailing right knee.
Mitchell hit the 20-point mark with a layup off an inbound play that started
with just 5.4 seconds left in the first half after Bueckers and Clark got
tangled up with Bueckers trying to foul her new USA Basketball teammate on
purpose.
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