The Dallas Wings front court shined with its defense in its 92—69 win over the Washington Mystics on Monday night.
Washington entered the game with an offense tied for fifth in scoring 88.3 points per game. Part of that scoring came from the Mystics front court of Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen.
Austin entered the game averaging 17.7 points. Iriafen entered the game averaging 19 points and a league leading 13.7 rebounds.
“Knowing that they have two really elite offensive rebounders on their team, I
knew we had to control the glass,” Jessica Shepard said.
Austin and Iriafen finished below their averages in the loss. Austin finished with 12 points. Iriafen had 1o rebounds with nine points. Both players were slowed down by the pairing of Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier.
Dallas won the rebounding battle with 31 rebounds compared to Washington having 24 rebounds.
Shepard accounted for 16 of those rebounds while scoring 12 points with six assists in 28 minutes. Kuier finished with nine points, three steals and four assists in 21 minutes. It was a season-high in minutes played for Kuier. Her previous high was 15 minutes against the Atlanta Dream.
Against the Mystics, Kuier filled in for Alanna Smith, who dealt with foul trouble. When Smith picked up her second foul, Kuier was first off the bench with 7:23 left in the first quarter.
She quickly put herself on the stat sheet with a steal and a three-point play in the first quarter. Kuier hit the free-throw after she made a layup, bringing the score to 13-5 with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Kuier finished the first half with three points, three steals and one assist in eight minutes. Because of her play in the first half and Smith having four fouls, Kuier started the second half, paired with Shepard.
Kuier blocked Iriafen’s shot to keep the score at 42-34 early in the third quarter.
Shepard played all of the third quarter, finishing the quarter with six points, three assists and six total rebounds, helping Dallas enter the fourth quarter with a 66-46 lead.
Shepard was one of the players Wings GM Curt Miller wanted to sign in free agency. She was a part of the Wings’ plan to improve their defense as she was named the 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season. Her performance tonight helped Dallas stifle a high-scoring Mystics offense and showcase what Miller thought of when he brought Shepard to Dallas.
Although Smith was also part of that plan, Kuier filled in well for Smtih against Washington, showcasing her improvement since her first stint with the Wings.
“That time overseas for her, she was a big piece for her team, and that really helped her,” Arike Ogunbowale said. “She came back confident. Her shot looks good. She’s long. She’s more confident. She’s got a little bit of muscle on her.”
Ogunbowale played with Kuier after the Wings selected Kuier with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. The two were in Dallas until Kuier went overseas after the end of the 2023 season. She returned to Dallas in the offseason after averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, two blocks and one steal in the 2025-26 season for Turkish Squad Galatasaray.
