Wings vs. Sun: Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard Push Dallas to Fourth Straight Win, 97-71

The Dallas Wings had one last box to check before the WNBA hit pause for the FIBA World Cup, and they checked it with a highlighter. Arike Ogunbowale scored 18 points, Jessica Shepard posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Dallas pounded the Connecticut Sun 97-71 on Sunday night in front of a sellout crowd at College Park Center.

It was the fourth straight win for the Wings, who moved to 24-16 and wrapped up a 3-0 season sweep of Connecticut. Aaliyah Edwards put on a one-woman show for the Sun, scoring 26 points with 21 of them in the first half, but the rest of her team never found the range.

One Lead, 11 Seconds Long

Connecticut's only lead of the night came about four and a half minutes in, when Saniya Rivers drove for a layup and an 11-10 edge. It lasted 11 seconds. Paige Bueckers answered with a bucket inside to put Dallas back in front, and the Wings never trailed again. According to the team, Dallas then broke things open with a 22-7 run, and the 32-18 first quarter was the Wings' second-highest scoring opening frame of the season.

The second quarter belonged to Edwards. She scored 16 points in the period, per the Wings, and Connecticut actually won the quarter 29-28 by firing away. Dallas still took a 60-47 lead into halftime, closing the half with a burst that turned into an 8-0 run once the third quarter started.

That third quarter is where the Sun's offense went into hibernation. Connecticut shot 4-of-17 from the field in the period, made one of its six 3-point tries and hit only three of six free throws. Dallas, meanwhile, went 4-for-4 from deep in the frame. Aziaha James buried a 3 to push the lead to 21 late in the quarter, Maddy Siegrist followed with another on the next possession to make it 81-57, and Connecticut burned a timeout. The Wings led 83-59 after three, then cleared the bench and still found an 11-0 run in the fourth that stretched it to 94-62.

Ogunbowale Efficient, Shepard Relentless

Ogunbowale did her damage in only 23 minutes, hitting 6 of 12 shots, 3 of 5 from deep and all three of her free throws. The Wings said it was her 13th game this season shooting 50 percent or better from the field, the most in a single season of her career.

Shepard was the battering ram. She went just 4-of-6 from the field but lived at the line, going 9-for-11 to tie her career high for made free throws, according to the team. Add 10 rebounds and four assists, and the AP counted it as her 22nd double-double of the season, extending her franchise record and ranking second in the WNBA behind Angel Reese's 29. Her five turnovers were the only blemish.

Bueckers scored 15 with six assists and a game-best plus-27. Siegrist came off the bench for 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Alysha Clark was perfect on three shots for eight. Awak Kuier only scored four, but her three blocks pushed her to the top of the Wings' single-season blocks list. The team's record book now lists her on top for blocks in a single game (7), a single season (57) and a career (122).

For Connecticut, Edwards scored 26 on 8-of-16 shooting and 8-of-9 at the line, matching her career best, according to the AP. Charlisse Leger-Walker hit five 3-pointers for 17 points, but Diamond Miller struggled to a 2-of-14 night.

The Turning Point: The Third-Quarter Freeze

A 13-point halftime lead is not safe in this league, especially against a team that just scored 29 in a quarter. Dallas made it safe in the opening minutes of the third. Per the team, the Sun opened the half 1-of-8 from the field, and by the 5:44 mark the Wings were up 71-50. The 23-12 third quarter took a game that had some life in it and flatlined it.

The rest of the box score explains why Connecticut could not respond. Dallas shot 52 percent and 8-of-16 from 3, while the Sun shot 33 percent on 73 attempts. Connecticut did grab 12 offensive rebounds, but second chances only help if the shots eventually fall.

Stats That Matter

• 36-10: Bench scoring in Dallas' favor, per the team.
• 44-28: The Wings' edge in points in the paint.
• 41-29: Dallas' rebounding advantage.
• 23 of 30: Wings free throws, compared with 16 of 22 for Connecticut.
• 24 of 73: Connecticut's field goal shooting, a 33 percent night.

What It Means

Dallas improved to 24-16, 14-6 at home, and enters the break riding a four-game winning streak. Per the AP, 24 wins is the franchise's best total since 2007, when it also won 24 as the Detroit Shock. The franchise record is 25, set by the 2003 Shock on the way to the first of their three WNBA titles. The AP had Dallas sharing sixth place with New York and Washington, two games behind both Indiana and Atlanta.

The 26-point margin was Dallas' second-biggest win of the season, per the team; only a 30-point blowout of the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces was bigger. Four Wings were headed to the World Cup: Bueckers with the USA, Alanna Smith with Australia, Li Yueru with China and Costanza Verona with Italy. Dallas returns Sept. 17 against Los Angeles for its final four regular-season games.

Connecticut fell to 10-30, 3-17 on the road, and has lost three straight. The Sun's next game is Sept. 17 at Atlanta.

Closing Take

Dallas heads into the break like a show that just ended its season on a cliffhanger: four straight wins, a franchise wins record within reach and four players heading off to the World Cup before everyone reconvenes. Edwards gave Connecticut a reason to watch the first half, but the Wings gave everyone else a reason to circle Sept. 17.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the Dallas Wings.