‘We Can’t Let It Stagnate Us’: Dallas Wings Zero in on Zone Execution, Other Adjustments vs. New York Liberty
The Dallas Wings return to the road Tuesday night for a rematch with the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Dallas (8-21) defeated New York 92-82 last week at College Park Center, but a fourth-quarter scoring drought exposed a lingering concern: zone execution.
The Liberty’s defensive adjustment was instrumental in cutting a 30-point lead down to single digits, holding the Wings to just seven points in the final frame. Fixing that has been the team’s top focus ahead of Tuesday’s game.
Since that victory, the Wings have dropped two straight games. Dallas suffered an 88-85 loss to the Atlanta Dream the following night, as Naz Hillmon buried a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds. Most recently, the Wings fell to the Indiana Fever 88-78 at American Airlines Center, struggling with rebounding and three-point volume in a game where their offense never found a rhythm.
Dallas Wings Target Zone After Late Collapse vs. New York Liberty
Liberty’s zone defense disrupted Dallas’ offensive flow, stagnating ball movement and forcing the Wings into difficult, perimeter-heavy possessions. The Wings often had to settle for tough shots late in the shot clock, leading to a severely underwhelming second half of offense after producing such a dominant first two quarters.
A large portion of Sunday’s practice was centered on attacking those defensive looks with more urgency and precision.
“Lots of different ways to attack a zone, but in the WNBA, that nail area is important,” Wings head coach Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “You want to get the ball right into the teeth of it, face the hoop, and make good decisions out of it. Ultimately, we can’t let it stagnate us.”
Paige Bueckers emphasized the importance of remaining aggressive and disciplined when defenses shift.
“Their zone slowed us down, so we tried to change sides of the floor, get into the middle of the zone, and attack,” Bueckers said. “We can’t let their zone dictate our pace.”
Haley Jones pointed out that Dallas must avoid settling for threes and stay committed to attacking the paint.
“I think we still need to attack the middle, get it to the high post, and get a lot of stuff inside out,” Jones told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Last time we played New York, we got really stagnant and settled for threes.”
Maddy Siegrist, who is set to return from injury, echoed that approach.
“You just gotta take your time, not panic, just move the ball,” Siegrist told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “There’s a lot of holes in zones in general, so the more you move the ball and just be confident, the better results you’re gonna get.”
Luisa Geiselsöder reflected on the Wings’ fourth-quarter struggles and said movement away from the ball is key.
“We just passed the ball around the three-point line, and that was a big problem,” Geiselsöder told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We need to be patient, not settle for threes, and move—cut, set screens, do something before we catch the ball.”
Maddy Siegrist and Diamond Miller to Anchor New Rotation
Dallas’ wing rotation will look different this time around. The Wings traded DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Diamond Miller and Karlie Samuelson, who was later waived, but will continue to rehab with the Wings ahead of her free agency. The deal opened the door for Siegrist’s return and positioned Miller as a central figure in the reshaped lineup.
Miller, who is shooting a career-best 53.8% from three-point range this season, brings length, versatility, and a downhill attacking presence that Koclanes believes will elevate the team’s pace.
“Her size and athleticism, number one, but her speed up and down the floor too,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “She plays downhill, puts pressure on the rim and the paint. If we can create the right space, she’ll find opportunities to attack closeouts and get to the rim. That’d be great.”
Jones called Miller “another long, versatile player,” praising her ability to impact both ends of the floor.
“She can score from all three levels. She’s a really physical defender, too,” Jones told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We’re excited to have her and to have her do a lot of different things.”
Siegrist, who missed 18 games with a right knee injury, will be eased back with a minutes restriction. Before the injury, she averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds, ranking among league leaders in offensive rebounds and second-chance points.
Koclanes expects Siegrist and Miller to immediately step into significant minutes on the wing after she’s no longer on a minutes restriction.
“Maddy, right? There’s a spot right there for her as a wing,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “And when Diamond gets here, there will be big minutes for those two as big wings. They’re very different in terms of their skill sets, so that’s good.”
Siegrist, who has played both forward positions, said she’s ready to contribute energy and versatility.
“Rebounding has been a big area—especially offensive rebounding,” Siegrist told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “I’m really focusing on running the floor in transition, trying to get a couple buckets that way and make them run back a little bit.”
Aziaha James will also see her role expand, particularly as a defensive spark off the bench. Koclanes said giving James more reps to play through mistakes is key to her development.
Dallas Wings Aim to Fix Rebounding, Three-Point Volume Deficiencies
Dallas’ struggles against zone defenses is a priority area to address, but other issues include a lack of impact on the glass and beyond the arc. In their recent loss to Indiana, the Wings were outrebounded by 14, a deficiency Koclanes attributed to losing battles at the point of attack.
“If you lose at the point of attack, your rebounding position is compromised,” Koclanes said. “Guards get beat, posts rotate to help, and now their posts are rolling free. All five players need to get in and rebound. It’s a group effort.”
Geiselsöder said the Wings must treat rebounding as a collective responsibility.
“We need to grab the ball with two hands and be more aggressive with it. We have to want it more than them,” she told DallasHoopsJournal.com.
Quinerly reinforced that mindset.
“We need to go out there and want to be dogs like everybody else and go grab the ball,” she told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “It’s about effort and toughness.”
Offensively, the Wings were limited to just 15 three-point attempts against Indiana as defenders aggressively top-locked their perimeter actions.
“They did a really good job top blocking our actions and guarding the arc,” Koclanes said. “Getting more in transition, fighting off of their defense and congestion—that’s the adjustment.”
Quinerly said generating space off screens and remaining aggressive in transition will be critical to increasing three-point volume.
“They limited a lot of our three-point attempts,” she told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “We need to do better getting off screens, creating space to get those threes up.”
Accountability Must Anchor the Dallas Wings’ Growth
For Koclanes, schematic adjustments will only take the team so far. He said Dallas must cultivate a tougher, more accountable mindset if it hopes to compete down the stretch.
“No excuses. I’m proud of our resilience in the fourth quarter, but we need that toughness from the tip,” Koclanes said. “When you’re missing shots, you have to play even harder on the other end. We need to keep improving.”
Bueckers said internal accountability must anchor the team’s defensive growth.
“Holding ourselves accountable. Looking in the mirror and committing to what you’re bringing defensively,” she said. “It’s about the will and desire to defend and take pride in that.”
The Wings and Liberty will tip off at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, with local coverage on KFAA29 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
More Dallas Wings News & WNBA Rumors
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings Reveal Injury Report, Plan Hardship Signing Before Game vs. New York Liberty
- WNBA News: Diamond Miller Will Be Active for Dallas Wings’ Matchup vs. New York Liberty
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings Waive Karlie Samuelson, Will Oversee Rehab Through Offseason
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers Earns Second Consecutive WNBA Rookie of the Month Honor
- WNBA News: “There Will Be Big Minutes”: Dallas Wings to Lean on Diamond Miller, Maddy Siegrist After DiJonai Carrington Trade
- WNBA News: Dallas Wings Trade DiJonai Carrington to Minnesota Lynx, Acquire Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson
