The Dallas Wings returned home for their first post-All Star home game to a roaring crowd, with Olympian Usain Bolt among those in attendance. But the crowd’s energy and noise wasn’t enough to slow down A’Ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and the Las Vegas Aces.
Las Vegas defeated Dallas 106-80 in Arlington on Sunday in Dallas’ first game of a four-game home stand. The Wings will play five of their next six games in the Metroplex. with Friday’s game against the Indiana Fever slated for the American Airlines
Center instead of College Park Center.
Wings rookie sensation Paige Bueckers sat out Sunday’s contest, continuing her streak of not playing back-to-back games. Head coach Chris Koclanes said pregame this was something the league was seeing more and more, especially with rookies coming off long college seasons. Koclanes said the team is being “extremely cautious and doing everything [they] can to make sure that [they’re] putting everybody in positions to be healthy.”
Dallas struggled to find offense without their star guard, who’s taken over the lion’s share of the ball handling responsibilities when she does suit up. Sunday was Bueckers’ sixth missed game of the season. Dallas is 1-5 without her and 6-14 with Bueckers. The Rookie of the Year favorite is averaging over 18 points a night in 20 contests this season.
Koclanes said he felt the team did a better job defending Wilson this game compared to last — she scored 37 the last time these teams met, compared to 14 points Sunday — but said they struggled to contain the Aces’ shooting and Wilson’s playmaking.
“We have to be able to do both [slow down Wilson and her teammates]. That’s what defending is all about. Right now we’re very one dimensional,” Koclanes said postgame. “We need to be able to do more than one thing defensively.”
Guards Arike Ogunbowale and Haley Jones led the team in scoring with 19 and 15 respectively. The 15 points for Jones is a season-high. DiJonai Carrington and Teaira McCowan were the other Wings to score in double figures as McCowan tallied a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Koclanes said he was excited that McCowan was ready when her number got called and thought she helped the team with their rebounding, an area he felt the team was struggling with early on. He said Jones was a good spark off the bench and complimented her motor and tempo she plays the game at.
The Wings will play the second night of their back-to-back Monday when they host the defending WNBA Champion New York Liberty.
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