‘It Was Our Defense’: Jessica Shepard’s Third Triple-Double Lifts Dallas Wings Past New York Liberty 88-77

BROOKLYN, New York — The Dallas Wings pulled away in the second quarter Tuesday night and held off a pair of second-half pushes to beat the New York Liberty 88-77 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,532 at Barclays Center.

Jessica Shepard recorded her third triple-double of the season, matching a career high with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, and Dallas improved to 14-8, the best start through 22 games in franchise history, while extending its win streak to three. New York fell to 13-9.

Paige Bueckers added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Azzi Fudd scored 12 points as five Wings players reached double figures. Arike Ogunbowale scored 8 points with a rebound, an assist, and a steal, Alanna Smith added 8 points and 5 rebounds, Odyssey Sims scored 8 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, and Aziaha James chipped in 5 points in just over 9 minutes off the bench. Fudd continues to lead all rookies this season in steals (37), blocks (20), and made three-pointers (38).

With the win, Dallas won multiple games in a single regular-season series against the Liberty for the first time since 2022 and picked up multiple road wins over New York in the same season for the first time since the franchise relocated to North Texas.

Jessica Shepard Reaches Rare Air

Shepard now owns every triple-double recorded in the WNBA this season and sits second all-time in league history in regular-season triple-doubles, tied with Sabrina Ionescu at four apiece. She is also tied with Ionescu for the most 20-point triple-doubles in league history with three, and she matched a career high with 11 field goals in 36 minutes.

Shepard downplayed the individual milestone afterward.

“I don’t really have a favorite. Coming into New York for the third game of the road trip, I’m just proud of the team for getting the win,” she said.

Asked what has led her to produce at that level so quickly in a new system, she pointed to the trust around her.

“I think it’s the coaches’ belief in me and my teammates’ belief in me. They trust me with the ball in my hands, and they do a great job reading whatever action we’re in,” Shepard said.

Shepard, a first-time All-Star starter this season, was also asked about comparisons some have drawn between her game and players like Candace Parker and Alyssa Thomas given her versatility and playmaking. She said the league is still catching up to the full picture.

“I think all of it. My time in Minnesota had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of different roles. There were stretches last season when Napheesa was out that I got to show more of what I could do, but a lot of it just comes down to playing more,” Shepard said.

She said the facilitating has come naturally within Dallas’ locker room.

“It’s developed naturally with this team. We have a lot of players who come from programs where they play basketball the right way, and that makes it easy to make the right reads,” she said.

Asked what has allowed her to make such an immediate impact as an All-Star starter, Shepard credited the group around her.

“It’s really the team’s belief in me and the coaching staff’s belief in me. When you’re playing alongside great players, they help make you better,” she said.

Head coach Jose Fernandez said Shepard’s fast start traces back to how comfortable she has felt in Dallas’ system.

“She’s having fun. She’s playing with a lot of joy and enthusiasm. She feels really comfortable with her decision-making and with the teammates around her,” Fernandez said. “She feels comfortable making decisions in those situations and facilitating.”

He said the freedom Dallas promised her in free agency talks has changed her game.

“You’d have to ask her about the conversations we had during free agency, but it was important that she understood how she would be utilized. Having the ball in her hands and the freedom to push it after rebounds changes everything,” Fernandez said. “It’s different when your four or five can grab a rebound, start the break, get into inverted pick-and-rolls, flow into three-away actions or initiate split actions. I think she’s really enjoying that freedom.”

He credited Dallas’ front office for identifying the fit before it showed up on the stat sheet.

“I think she’s gotten a great opportunity, and she feels very comfortable in the system we’re playing. I think we did a really good job in free agency identifying players who fit the way we wanted to play, and that’s showing,” Fernandez said.

Asked to describe Shepard as a player, he pointed to her all-around game and one area still developing.

“I love her versatility and her court vision. She can do so many different things. The next step in her development is consistently stretching the floor and shooting the three. If she adds that, it’ll be fun to watch her continue to grow,” Fernandez said.

Awak Kuier Breaks Out

Kuier turned in a career night of her own, recording her first double-double as a pro with 10 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, a career-high 7 assists, and a game-high 3 blocks in 27 minutes. She shot 3-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, with her three made threes marking a new career best.

“I think it’s everyone around me. The coaches have confidence in me, my teammates find me at the right time, and I’m getting open shots,” Kuier said. “That has definitely helped my percentage.”

She said the production reflects an expanded role she anticipated coming into the season.

“I expected to have a bigger role than I had in previous years here. I came into the season with that mindset, knowing I needed to be more aggressive and more involved,” Kuier said.

Fernandez said Kuier’s shooting has changed how defenses have to guard Dallas’ frontcourt.

“She stretches the floor, and you’ve seen what her length can do defensively by changing shots,” he said. “I also thought she did a really good job on the boards.”

Seven Lead Changes Mark A Tight First Quarter

Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Fudd, Kuier and Shepard started for the ninth straight game, and the two teams spent the first quarter trading the lead seven times. New York was already thin, with Fauthoux, Fiebich (left foot soreness), Maley and Sabally (concussion protocol) all inactive.

Shepard opened the scoring with a driving layup off the opening tip, and Breanna Stewart answered with a cutting layup off an Ionescu feed to tie it. Fudd turned an Ionescu turnover into a fast-break pullup, and Jonquel Jones connected from three off an Ionescu assist to put New York in front, 5-4. Shepard answered with a layup assisted by Kuier, and Stewart’s turnaround fadeaway, assisted by Jones, kept the Liberty ahead, 7-6.

Kuier blocked a Jones putback attempt to keep the game within a possession, and New York closed the back half of the quarter on a 6-0 run to build its largest lead of the game. Pauline Astier scored on a fast-break layup off a Stewart assist, Stewart added a driving layup, and Astier capped it with a reverse layup assisted by Jones, pushing the Liberty ahead 16-12. Han Xu extended the cushion to 20-14 with a driving layup off an offensive rebound.

Dallas answered before the horn. Sims scored on a driving layup, and then a pull-up jumper assisted by Shepard, trimming the deficit to two, and the Wings headed to the second quarter trailing 20-18.

Awak Kuier, Alanna Smith Ignite A 19-0 Run

New York carried its first-quarter momentum into the second. Marine Johannès converted a cutting layup, and after a James turnover led to a three-shot foul, Johannès made all three free throws to push the Liberty’s lead to 7, 25-18, the largest of the game for either team.

Dallas answered immediately. Smith scored on a layup assisted by Shepard and completed an and-one on the next possession, and Bueckers followed with a cutting layup off a Shepard assist to put the Wings ahead, 26-25, forcing a Liberty timeout with 7:00 left in the half.

Dallas did not let up. James, Smith and Kuier combined to score 19 consecutive points over the next several minutes, capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Kuier, and New York did not score again until Stewart’s driving finger roll broke the drought with 2:26 left in the half. Kuier blocked a Stewart fast-break attempt during the stretch, and after a Wings coach’s challenge overturned a shooting foul call against Bueckers in the closing seconds, Fudd’s pullup jumper made it a 16-point game, 47-31, at the break. Dallas shot 60.0% (12-of-20) in the quarter and held New York to 13.3% (2-of-15), the first time a Dallas opponent has shot under 14% in a quarter since the Los Angeles Sparks went 2-of-16 on August 14, 2022.

Shepard pointed to the defense as the catalyst.

“I think it was our defense. We did a great job in that quarter of really flying around, helping each other and making all of their shots difficult,” she said.

She said the perimeter defense had carried over from recent games.

“I think our defense in general today was really good. Obviously, Kay played a huge part in that because when she’s on the court you have to account for her. Our guards have really stepped up over the last two games, taking their individual matchups personally and being great defenders,” Shepard said.

The pace on the other end mattered just as much, she said.

“It was huge. When we’re able to get stops early and push the ball, that’s when we’re at our best. In the half court we did a great job moving the ball side to side and waiting until we got exactly what we wanted,” Shepard said.

Fernandez said the offense answered New York’s ball pressure just as well as the defense handled the Liberty’s shots.

“I thought we got out in transition and ran. We made really good decisions against their pick-and-roll coverages when they blitzed,” he said. “It’s not just the first pass out of the blitz. The next pass is the most important one. I thought our decision-making was really good.”

New York’s locker room saw it the same way. Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco pointed to turnovers and rebounding as the root of it.

“It was a lack of execution. It’s hard to run offense when you’re constantly taking the ball out of the basket. In the first quarter we had some unforced turnovers and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. Those are opportunities to build a lead and control the game,” he said.

Jones, whose team shot just 2-of-15 during the 29-11 quarter, credited Dallas’ activity level.

“I think we’ve got to get stops. They do a really good job of mucking things up and playing with activity. We can do a better job of executing, figuring out where we have mismatches and attacking those,” Jones said.

Guard Rebekah Gardner said the pattern echoed the teams’ first meeting this season.

“Looking back, I think it was similar to the first game. Dallas got loose in transition, and we weren’t finding their shooters. Overall, it came down to our defense,” she said.

Ionescu had a similar read.

“Dallas went on a run. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but we didn’t stop the bleeding early enough. They made shots, we didn’t, and we didn’t get back in transition,” Ionescu said.

Liberty Rally Twice, But Wings Keep Enough Distance

New York opened the third quarter with Stewart’s driving hook cutting the deficit to 14, before Shepard answered with a reverse layup off a Bueckers assist to restore Dallas’ 16-point cushion. DeMarco was called for a technical foul later in the quarter as his team continued to chip away, with Ogunbowale converting the free throw.

New York’s response was its most sustained of the night. Jones’ turnaround fadeaway started a 10-0 run that continued through another Jones three-pointer, an Ionescu three, and an Ionescu driving layup, cutting the deficit to 5, 52-47, and prompting a pair of stoppages, including a successful Liberty coach’s challenge that overturned a shooting foul call on Ionescu.

Dallas answered with 9 unanswered points of its own: a Shepard jumper, a Kuier free throw, a Bueckers pull-up, a Kuier three-pointer and the technical free throw off DeMarco’s foul, pushing the lead back to 14. Jones blocked shots by both Kuier and Bueckers during the quarter, and an 8-7 finish left Dallas ahead 69-54 entering the fourth.

Rebecca Allen checked into the game for the first time in the fourth quarter and made an immediate impact, blocking a James shot before turning the ball over and exiting for good at the 6:01 mark; she did not return. New York used the shift in personnel to trim the margin further, with a Jones turnaround, an Ionescu three assisted by Johannès, a Johannès fast-break layup, and an Ionescu driving layup cutting the deficit into single digits before Dallas steadied behind Fudd and Shepard.

New York twice more pulled within striking distance down the stretch, but Dallas closed out the 88-77 win, shooting just 26.1% from three over the second half and losing the fast-break battle for the game, 14-11, while doing enough elsewhere to hold on.

Shepard said the Wings anticipated New York would make a push after halftime.

“We knew New York is a great team. They just won the Commissioner’s Cup, and they have a lot of experienced players who have played together for a long time,” she said. “We knew they would make adjustments and go on runs. We just regrouped, took a breath and found what we were looking for.”

DeMarco said afterward he wasn’t certain what had happened to Allen on the play.

“I don’t know exactly what happened with Beck. I don’t know if she got hit in the nose or what happened, but it looked pretty bad. There wasn’t a call on it, so maybe it just popped out. I don’t know,” he said.

He still credited the group’s response with a thinned-out rotation.

“I was really happy with how we competed in the third quarter and fought back. That’s the effort it’s going to take, especially with players missing from the lineup,” he said.

Stewart said the urgency required arriving sooner.

“I thought it was okay, but there’s definitely room for improvement. One of the hardest parts of some of our defensive schemes is making sure we’re not completely out of the play. As we become more aggressive, good things happen for us. We can’t wait until we’re down 17 points before playing with that kind of urgency. That’s on the starters. We have to establish the defensive tone because that fuels our offense,” Stewart said.

DeMarco summed up the night simply.

“Dallas is a really difficult team to play against. Outside of that second quarter, I thought we competed well for three quarters. Now it’s about finding the right combinations moving forward. I’m proud of how the group responded in the third quarter,” he said.

Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones Turn In Historic Nights For Liberty

Stewart led all scorers with 29 points on 62.5% (10-of-16) shooting, adding 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. It was Stewart’s 63rd game with at least 20 points since joining New York, the third-most in franchise history, and her 83rd career game with at least 25 points, the third-most in WNBA history. She has scored 65 points over her last two games, her highest-scoring two-game stretch since her 2023 MVP season.

Jones, named a 2026 WNBA All-Star earlier in the day, finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds on 54.5% (6-of-11) shooting, including 50% (3-of-6) from three-point range, to go with 2 assists and 2 blocks. The blocks pushed her past Sue Wicks (155) for third-most in franchise history, and her 3-of-6 night from deep marked her fourth consecutive game with multiple three-pointers, the fourth-longest such streak of her career.

Jones has now scored in double figures on at least 50% shooting in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak of her career, and Tuesday’s double-double, her second straight and seventh of the season, was the 109th of her career, ranking eighth all-time in WNBA history.

Ionescu added a team-high 5 assists and scored 14 points in the second half, finishing with 3 rebounds and a block. Her 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter each matched her season high for a single quarter, and her made three-pointer extended her total to 172 regular-season games with at least one make, a new Liberty franchise record, surpassing Crystal Robinson.

Johannès led the Liberty bench with 7 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal, and Astier added 4 points and 2 rebounds on 50% shooting, extending her rookie-leading streak to 16 games this season shooting at least 50% from the field.

Gardner scored 4 points, all from the free-throw line, to go with 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was scoreless in 14:35 minutes in her return to the lineup, and Han added 2 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. Raquel Carrera and Allen were both scoreless in limited minutes, with Allen finishing with a block and a turnover in her brief fourth-quarter stint.

Dallas shot 46.1% from the field (35-of-76) for the game, winning the rebounding battle 38-34 and outscoring the Liberty in the paint, 44-42. The Wings also held clear edges in second-chance points (15-11) and bench scoring (21-9), and their 29 assists on 35 made field goals moved Dallas to 5-0 this season when reaching that mark.

Jose Fernandez, Jessica Shepard On Wings’ 14-8 Start

Dallas sits fourth in the standings at 14-8, and Fernandez said the belief inside the locker room has not wavered even as the Wings have knocked off some of the league’s best teams.

“I get to coach a great group of people in that locker room who believe in each other and believe in what we’re doing. I also get to coach some really good basketball players. I’m thankful for them and for the staff around me,” he said. “We just focus on the process and the next game. If you approach it that way, the end result will take care of itself.”

Asked how far away the Wings are from contending for a championship, he pointed to the games still in front of them.

“We’ve got 22 games left, so we’ll see after those 22 games. I’ve always believed we can win in Dallas. We have an incredible locker room,” Fernandez said. “Once the regular season ends, then the focus becomes winning a championship. Right now, every game matters, and that’s the most important thing.”

Shepard said the start has matched what she was told to expect when she signed with Dallas in the offseason.

“When I came here in the offseason, after talking with the players who were returning, ownership from top to bottom, Curt and the coaching staff, I knew this was the vision. We also knew it wouldn’t happen overnight,” she said. “We’re still working every day to become a better team. The fun part is seeing the growth happen in real time with a mix of veterans and young players.”

Kuier echoed that sentiment.

“I agree with everything Jess said, but the biggest thing for me is that I’ve been having fun. It’s been fun being on the court and playing with my teammates,” she said.

Fernandez said the schedule ahead will test that depth.

“It’s always tough to win on the road. We have to continue sharing the ball the way we’ve been doing. Everyone has to stay ready because you can’t control things like foul trouble or injuries. There’s still a lot of work to do,” he said. “We have Toronto next, then only a shootaround before Chicago, New York at home and Portland before the All-Star break. This next week and a half is very important. Then there are 17 games before the World Cup break and four afterward. That’s how we’ve divided the season.”

Dallas continues its road trip against the Toronto Tempo on Friday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m. CT, with tip-off airing on ION. The Wings and Liberty meet one final time in the regular season on Thursday, July 16, at 8 p.m. CT in Arlington.

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