DHJ Quick Take: Jessica Shepard Controls Interior Dominance in Wings’ Victory
- Owning the Glass with Intent: Jessica Shepard treated the boards as her primary individual objective, hauling down a game-high 16 rebounds to tie the WNBA single-game season high and neutralize Washington’s high-low paint attack.
- Historic Frontcourt Efficiency: Supplementing her double-double with 12 points and six assists, Shepard anchored the point of the offense flawlessly. She played 27 minutes without a single turnover, becoming only the sixth player in WNBA history to hit those precise visual box scores.
- Screening Priority Frees the Perimeter: After breaking down stagnant game tape over the weekend, Shepard and the post unit focused on holding screens a second longer. The adjustment repeatedly freed Dallas’ dynamic guards, opening up a season-high 30-assist pipeline.
- Replicating Notre Dame Chemistry: The newly acquired big showcased an effortlessly building connection alongside point guard Paige Bueckers and college teammate Arike Ogunbowale, proving her unselfish playmaking and versatility are essential to pacing the roster’s collective ceiling.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jessica Shepard controlled the glass all night, and the Dallas Wings controlled the game. Shepard pulled down 16 rebounds Monday, tying the most by any player in a WNBA game this season, as the Wings routed the Washington Mystics 92-69 at College Park Center.
Shepard finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. She did not turn the ball over once. It was her first double-double of the season and the 20th of her career. No player has grabbed more rebounds in a WNBA game this season. Angel Reese got to 16 earlier in the year. Monday, Shepard matched it, and matched her own season high in the process.
The full line is one almost no one has produced. Only six players in WNBA history have posted at least 12 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 0 turnovers in a single game. Shepard is now one of them.
It was the Wings’ best game of the young season. The 23-point win closed a three-game homestand and pulled Dallas even at 2-2.
Jessica Shepard Owns the Glass
Dallas out-rebounded Washington 31-24 and held the Mystics to 2 offensive rebounds, a result that started with Shepard. She treated the glass as the part of her game she could most directly control, regardless of how the rest of the night went.
“For myself, I know that’s one of my biggest controllables in the basketball game,” Shepard said. “So knowing that they have two really elite offensive rebounders on that team, I knew that we had to control the glass, and I just wanted to do my part.”
The assignment carried weight against Washington. The Mystics arrived with a frontcourt of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin, and limiting their second chances had been a focus of the Wings’ game plan. Dallas surrendered just 5 second-chance points on the night.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez said Shepard’s all-around line continued what she had shown days earlier on the road.
“She had a double-double, almost a triple-double in Indiana,” Fernandez said. “But 16 rebounds, 30 assists, there was a lot of really, really good things on both ends of the floor.”
Jessica Shepard Sets the Table
Shepard’s six assists were a product of the work the Wings had identified on film. She said the post group had targeted screening as an area for improvement, and that the emphasis opened up the offense that produced a season-high 30 assists.
“We’ve kinda watched video after the last couple games, and we know screening is an area we need to be better in as post players,” Shepard said. “So just putting an emphasis on it, holding the screen a second longer to get the guards open and also get yourself open too.”
Paige Bueckers, who repeatedly connected with Shepard in early offense, said the chemistry between them is still building through repetition.
“We’re starting to get more reps with each other. We’re starting to learn each other a little bit more,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Jess is a really good playmaker. She’s very unselfish and makes the right read. She’s also a threat to score, so it’s really easy to play with her and play off of her, and we have great communication.”
A Reunion Years in the Making
Shepard’s arrival in Dallas reunited her with Arike Ogunbowale, her teammate at Notre Dame. Ogunbowale said the two had talked for years about playing together again as pros.
“I played with Jess in college, and she was obviously amazing. And we’ve been talking our whole career about kind of linking up and playing,” Ogunbowale said. “So I’m just happy and blessed that we were able to do it here. I’m glad I didn’t have to leave to play with her. I’m glad she could come play here.”
Ogunbowale said a larger role in Dallas would show the rest of the league what she has long known about Shepard.
“She’s definitely one of the most underrated posts in the game,” Ogunbowale said. “And I think her getting a bigger role is gonna show just how lethal and versatile she is.”
Shepard’s familiarity with teammates extends beyond Ogunbowale. Awak Kuier, who played overseas alongside Shepard for multiple seasons, said that history has eased their minutes together in Dallas.
“We played together overseas, so I’ve played with her. I know how to play with her,” Kuier told Dallas Hoops Journal. “So it’s always having that familiar player with you who knows what you like to do and vice versa. I think it also helps me.”
Rookie Azzi Fudd said playing alongside a two-way big has been one of the early rewards of her first WNBA season.
“It’s been a lot of fun getting to play with a player like Jess that can just do a lot both offensively and defensively,” Fudd said. “I can’t believe it’s only been four games, and I’ve really enjoyed each game, getting more comfortable, learning how she likes to play, her learning my game. But playing with Jess has been incredible.”
Washington Mystics Saw It Coming
The Mystics had identified the Wings’ rebuilt frontcourt as a problem before the game. Washington coach Sydney Johnson and players Iriafen and Citron all pointed to the offseason additions of Shepard and Alanna Smith as the pieces that made Dallas more well-rounded.
Shepard answered the billing. Her 16 rebounds led all players, and the Wings won the glass and the paint while holding Washington to its lowest-scoring quarter of the season, 9 points in the first.
Fernandez has said throughout the season that the offense was not the Wings’ problem, and on Monday, the defense and rebounding caught up. Shepard’s night was the clearest example.
Up Next
The Wings begin a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Chicago Sky at 8 p.m. CT, with stops in Atlanta and New York to follow before a return home to face Las Vegas.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- Arike Ogunbowale Brushes Off ‘Chitter Chatter’ As Dallas Wings Show Standard vs. Washington Mystics
- ‘We Just Stayed Connected’: Paige Bueckers Breaks Down Dallas Wings’ Complete Two-Way Response vs. Washington Mystics
- ‘Flying Around And Covering’: Rebuilt Defense Sparks Dallas Wings’ 92-69 Blowout Of Washington Mystics
- Dallas Wings Prepare To ‘Match That Energy’ Against Washington Mystics In Duel Of Young Teams
- ‘He’s A Wonderful Coach’: Dallas Wings Players Back Jose Fernandez After His Accountability Comments
- Azzi Fudd Says UConn Play Calls Still ‘Ingrained’ As She Adjusts To Dallas Wings’ System
