‘Obviously Not What I Wanted, But I’ll Be Better’: Arike Ogunbowale Details Her Dallas Wings Return Amid Torn Thumb Ligament
Arike Ogunbowale returned to the Dallas Wings’ lineup on Sunday for the team’s 102–83 loss to the Indiana Fever after missing four games with what she told DallasHoopsJournal.com was a torn ligament in her left thumb. The outcome didn’t go her way on the stat sheet as she finished with two points while shooting 0-for-10 from the field, but her presence still mattered.
Her leadership, energy, and example resonated more than the numbers.
“It felt good to be back for sure,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Missing a lot of games is tough. You know, I just wanted to be back out there — even if it was too soon — just wanted to be back with my team.”
Ogunbowale played through heavy tape on her injured shooting hand and admitted the adjustment is still in progress. Regardless, she remains confident in bouncing back in her next performance.
“I had a tear in my thumb, so definitely just taping it up and trying to get a feel for it,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “But it’s the first game back, so obviously not what I wanted, but I’ll be better next game.”
Teammates Praise Arike Ogunbowale’s Leadership
While she didn’t find her rhythm offensively, Ogunbowale’s presence and leadership drew praise from her coach and teammates. When asked whether the shooting struggles resulted from rust or the Fever’s defensive pressure, Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said it was “a little bit of everything.”
“You could tell she hadn’t played in a bit. I wish some shots would’ve fallen early for her,” Koclanes said. “And yeah, it’s a balance. She’s going to get people’s best — they’re going to be really physical with her. They’re not going to allow her to move, so she’s got to continue to find that balance of really working hard to get up the floor, get to spots, and get off actions. And then I’ve got to continue to help her.”
What followed was one of the most impactful moments of the press conference.
Paige Bueckers, who scored a team-high 21 points in the loss, jumped in to offer an unprompted and emphatic shoutout to Ogunbowale.
“It might not have been her night shooting the ball, but the way she continued to stay in the game, not let it affect her effort on both ends of the floor, like her being a leader of this team — that was huge for me to be able to see that,” Bueckers said. “We’ve talked about it as individuals, just having one-on-one conversations of how we want to stay unaffected through the refs, through the missed calls, through missed defensive possessions. And so I just want to give a shoutout to her because it wasn’t her night shooting the ball, but I thought the way she stayed within the game — that’s a winning trait.”
Ogunbowale, averaging 16.0 points and 3.9 assists per game this season, responded to the praise with an emphasis on displaying steadiness to a young team.
“Like you said, I’m a vet, I’m a leader,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “There’ve been worse days. But this is a lot of rookies’ first season, and it’s just a new team. So me sulking or being upset isn’t gonna get us anywhere. I’m always gonna be positive.”
Rookie guard JJ Quinerly also acknowledged the impact of Ogunbowale’s example.
“Despite a loss or anything like that, we’re still a team and we’re going to stay together,” Quinerly told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We’ve got other games to worry about, so having that kind of positivity on the bench or on the court is great.”
Second-Quarter Slide Proves Costly
The Wings (6–16) were outscored 36–18 in the second quarter, a stretch that ultimately decided the game. Every other quarter was played within a two-point margin.
“I think we need to improve on our transition defense,” Quinerly told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “There were times we didn’t give that effort — that second effort — to get back, and I think that kind of cost us that second quarter for sure.”
Ogunbowale agreed, emphasizing that many of Indiana’s big scoring runs came without Dallas forcing them into a half-court set.
“I think a lot of those, like you said, were off transition,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “They didn’t even really have to set up and run something. So if we have better effort, we’ll get those stops.”
Indiana scored a WNBA season-high 64 points in the first half, with Caitlin Clark finishing with 14 points, 13 assists, and five steals. It was the first WNBA matchup between Clark and Bueckers — the last two No. 1 overall picks — and the Fever posted a franchise-record-tying 30 assists in the win.
Looking Ahead
The Wings will host the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday at College Park Center in their final game before the All-Star break.
“We just want to feel good going into the break,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Win, lose, or draw, we want to give more effort than what we gave today, and just go in there with a positive mindset. Go into All-Star break, reset, and then get ready for Seattle when we’re back.”
Despite a difficult shooting night, Ogunbowale’s willingness to lead, encourage, and set an example even when the shots aren’t falling didn’t go unnoticed, not by her coach, teammates, or a young roster that’s still growing.
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