“We Will Turn the Tide”: Dallas Wings Fall to Los Angeles Sparks as Turnovers, Runs Prove Costly
The Dallas Wings couldn’t overcome turnovers and key scoring runs in a 93-79 home loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night at College Park Center, extending their losing streak to four games.
Azurá Stevens scored a game-high 21 points and hit a career-best five 3-pointers to help Los Angeles (3-6) snap a three-game losing streak. Dearica Hamby added 20 points, and Odyssey Sims contributed 19 as the Sparks used a 6-0 burst to open the third quarter and a 9-0 run to start the fourth to build a 24-point lead.
DiJonai Carrington paced Dallas (1-8) with 16 points — her fifth straight game in double figures — while rookie Luisa Geiselsöder recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow rookie JJ Quinerly posted a career-best 14 points and four assists.
Point Guard Void Remains a Challenge
Friday’s game marked the third straight contest in which Dallas was forced to play without both Paige Bueckers (concussion protocol) and Tyasha Harris (left knee injury), leaving the Wings without a traditional point guard.
Head coach Chris Koclanes has been transparent about the difficulty this creates, particularly as the team tries to maintain offensive flow and composure late in games.
“They exposed us more than anyone has these past three games for not having a point guard. That was very evident tonight,” Koclanes said postgame. “We turned it over; they disrupted us a ton.”
Dallas committed 15 turnovers that led to 21 Sparks points. In recent games, the Wings had leaned on a combination of Carrington, Quinerly, and others to help run the offense.
“You just have to put people in the right position to be successful,” Carrington said earlier this week. “Call things, just have a feel for how they’re guarding stuff. Also, to kind of decide what things will actually work against this team.”
Quinerly, continuing to grow in an unfamiliar role, has worked to adapt quickly. “I played the two for a long time,” she said. “Now I’ve had to shift my mindset. The vets have helped a lot.”
Defensive Growth Still a Work in Progress
Beyond the offense, Koclanes and the Wings have made defense a major focus in recent practices. Coming into the game, the Wings had struggled with late-game defensive breakdowns, allowing 132.6 points per 100 possessions in fourth quarters over their last two outings.
That pattern continued on Friday. After battling to a 45-40 halftime deficit, Dallas allowed 22 points in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth as the Sparks used their perimeter shooting and transition game to pull away.
“Right now we’re giving way too much attention to adversity, to officials, and we’ve got to change it,” Koclanes said. “One possession turns to two, turns to three, and all of a sudden that’s the run.”
Arike Ogunbowale had acknowledged this issue ahead of the matchup: “We play really good in spurts, but in the fourth quarter, we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit. Sometimes it’s just focus at the end, staying locked in, doing what we did to get the lead.”
NaLyssa Smith also stressed the importance of trust and defensive cohesion. “I think it’s just about trusting each other. Trusting that everybody’s gonna guard their yard and help each other out.”
Luisa Geiselsöder Steps Up Amid Frontcourt Contributions
While the Wings continue searching for backcourt stability, their frontcourt once again provided encouraging signs.
Geiselsöder gave Dallas needed energy on both ends, leading the team in rebounds and assists (six), and anchoring several defensive possessions with strong rotations.
“I’m happy that I can help the team. It would definitely be better if we would get out with a win,” Geiselsöder said. “The numbers don’t say anything if you don’t win the game.”
Koclanes praised her impact: “She’s a smart piece that is a connector on both sides of the floor. We need more ball movers like that.”
Before the game, Geiselsöder had also highlighted the team’s potential defensively: “It takes chemistry, and I feel like that’s getting better every game. We can switch, hedge, trap — we have a lot of tools.”
With Bueckers and Harris out, Dallas has also leaned at times on Myisha Hines-Allen to help facilitate offense from the post — a role that Koclanes acknowledged has been more difficult in recent games.
“Myisha has struggled here the last couple days — haven’t been able to help her find a groove,” he said. “That hasn’t helped either as somebody who can facilitate from the post position.”
Looking Ahead: Focus on Closing and Growth
Despite the four-game skid, the Wings remain confident that they are close to turning a corner — if they can clean up execution in key moments.
“We’re right there,” Ogunbowale said earlier this week. “It’s not like we’re getting blown out. It’s just little things we need to fix — taking good shots, getting back on defense, playing smart.”
Carrington echoed that sentiment postgame: “We just have to finish. We’re pros — no excuses.”
Koclanes, while taking accountability, reinforced that the staff and players remain committed to the process.
“Poor. Just trying to figure it out,” he said when asked about the staff’s performance. “I’m not going to make excuses. It starts with me and our staff. I’m going to continue to show up for them, continue to serve them, and we will turn the tide.”
The Wings return to action Sunday at College Park Center against the Minnesota Lynx — a team they played to the wire in their previous meeting.
“We competed with Minnesota the whole way,” Kaila Charles said. “I feel like we can just lock in and do our job.”
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