Arike Ogunbowale Preaches ‘Short-Term Memory’ As Dallas Wings Seek Bounce Back vs. Phoenix Mercury

ARLINGTON, Texas — Arike Ogunbowale has seen enough WNBA seasons to know one rough night does not define a team. The Dallas Wings veteran is pushing her group to quickly move on from Tuesday’s 100-76 loss to the Minnesota Lynx as the Phoenix Mercury (4-9) come to town for the franchise’s annual Pride Game.

Ogunbowale framed the loss as one game in a long schedule, with the Wings only a quarter of the way through a 44-game season.

“It’s a long season, 44 games, and we’re only about 25% of the way through it. It’s just about going out there and giving my team what they need every night,” Ogunbowale said.

She did not sugarcoat the performance, but said the response is what matters.

“There are going to be games where we just come out and stink it up like we did in Minnesota. But you have to have a short-term memory,” Ogunbowale said. “We’ve got to bounce back. It’s a whole new game, and there’s still a long season ahead.”

Dallas (7-4) got 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting from Paige Bueckers and 16 points from Ogunbowale on 50% shooting, including 2-of-4 from three, with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in the loss. Jessica Shepard, in her first game back in Minnesota since signing with Dallas this offseason, finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, 1 rebound shy of a double-double. The game also marked Shepard’s 1,000th career point, a mark she reached in 136 games.

Staying Aggressive

After Bueckers called for the team to play with more assertiveness, Ogunbowale said the answer is simply returning to the physical, aggressive style that defined the Wings’ best stretches.

“I think you’ve seen it in the majority of our games, just being physical and aggressive. We weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be on offense or defense last game,” Ogunbowale said. “That wasn’t really characteristic of us, but we’ve got to bounce back today.”

She said the loss offered lessons worth carrying forward.

“We don’t want to make the same mistakes we made in that game, so it’s about taking those lessons and carrying them into today,” Ogunbowale said.

Defending the Phoenix Mercury

Ogunbowale pointed to Phoenix stars Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper, along with the Mercury’s guards, as downhill threats who force a defense to cover the whole floor.

“They’re physical. They play strong,” Ogunbowale said. “They have shooters around them, too, so we’re going to have to defend all three levels.”

Phoenix arrives having dropped an 87-81 road game to the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday, with Thomas posting 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists and Monique Akoa Makani adding 19. Head coach Nate Tibbetts is in his third season leading the Mercury, holding a 50-47 regular-season record.

Leading a Young Group

At 7-4 through 11 games, Ogunbowale said the Wings have shown they can compete with anyone and have mostly been undone by their own mistakes.

“I think we can compete with anybody. We know that. A lot of times we’re beating ourselves,” Ogunbowale said. “It’s about looking at what we’ve done well through these first 11 games, seeing what we’ve done poorly, and then correcting those things over the next quarter of the season.”

The numbers support her confidence. Dallas leads the WNBA in assists at 23.2 per game and ranks among the top five in scoring at 88.2 points per game.

She described the leadership on a roster that blends young players and veterans as a shared responsibility.

“We have a lot of young players, but we have a lot of vets, too. I think it’s a collective effort. We’re all talking to each other,” Ogunbowale said. “Our young players are really receptive, and us vets are receptive to criticism, too. We have a good group where we can have honest conversations.”

Notable Storylines

Bueckers, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is averaging a team-best 18.7 points and 5.8 assists while shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from three, one of three WNBA players meeting that standard alongside A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum.

Rookie guard Azzi Fudd is the only WNBA rookie averaging at least 11.4 points and 1.3 steals while shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from three. Her 1.3 steals lead the Wings, and she owns the team’s best plus-minus at plus-7.3.

Thursday’s game also counts in Commissioner’s Cup play, where Dallas is 2-1 with games remaining against Portland, Las Vegas, and Golden State.

Up Next

Tip-off against Phoenix is set for 8 p.m. CT at College Park Center, with the game streaming nationally on Prime.

It is the first of three meetings this season between Dallas and Phoenix, with the others set for Sept. 19 in Arlington and Sept. 21 in Phoenix. Phoenix leads the all-time series 50-34, though the teams have split their last 10 regular-season meetings 5-5, and Dallas is 9-8 against the Mercury at home since relocating to North Texas in 2016.

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• ‘They Expose You’: Minnesota Lynx’s First-Half Barrage Sinks Dallas Wings In 100-76 Road Loss
• ‘It’s Nostalgic In The Best Ways’: Jessica Shepard, Alanna Smith Return To Minnesota For First Time Since Joining Dallas Wings
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• Aziaha James Avoids Injury, Returns To Dallas Wings Practice After Los Angeles Sparks Scare
• ‘Total Team Effort’: Paige Bueckers Ties Franchise Assist Record, Arike Ogunbowale Scores 30 As Dallas Wings Beat Los Angeles Sparks 104-96