“They Choose to Fight”: Dallas Wings’ Late Rally Falls Short Against Atlanta Dream as Winless Start Continues
The Dallas Wings mounted their strongest fourth-quarter push of the season, outscoring the Atlanta Dream by 10 in the final period and trimming a 20-point deficit to just five. But a slow middle stretch and cold shooting from their top guards proved too much to overcome, as the Wings fell 83–75 on Saturday at Gateway Center Arena.
NaLyssa Smith led Dallas with 13 points and two steals in under 18 minutes. Maddy Siegrist added 12 points and nine rebounds, matching her career high. Tyasha Harris and Kaila Charles were on the floor during the late push, combining for 15 of the Wings’ 25 fourth-quarter points. Paige Bueckers finished with 11 points and five assists but did not play most of the final period after shooting 4-of-15 from the field. Arike Ogunbowale was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Still, Dallas showed its now-familiar grit. After trailing by 20 late in the third quarter, the Wings responded with a 13–0 run to begin the fourth.
“There are moments where it could go either way, and every single time, this group chooses to fight,” head coach Chris Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com postgame. “That tells me they have something inside them that you can get behind.”
Dallas Wings Start Strong Before Losing Ground
Dallas opened the game with control, taking an 18–17 lead after the first quarter. Smith scored seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 start from the floor. Carrington and Hines-Allen each made their presence felt defensively, and the Wings held Atlanta to 35 percent shooting to begin the game.
Pregame, Bueckers pointed to the importance of floor spacing and transition discipline.
“I think getting into deep corners in our offense—making sure we’re filling the deep corners and the 45s,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Just creating more driving lanes for us to be able to get into gaps and create offense that way.”
But the game slipped away in the second and third quarters. The Dream closed the first half on a 13–4 run to take a 37–30 lead, then blew the game open with a 31–20 third quarter. Dallas was outscored 51–32 in those two frames and shot just 33.9 percent through three quarters.
Allisha Gray and Brittney Griner combined for 28 points over that span, and the Dream bench added timely production from Maya Caldwell and Nia Coffey. Griner finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gray led all scorers with 27.
Dallas had no answers for Gray, especially defensively, where she helped contain Bueckers and Ogunbowale.
“The best thing I can do is just make it difficult for them,” Gray said postgame. “Make every shot as hard as possible. They’re going to hit tough ones, but I just try to stay committed on defense.”
Dream head coach Karl Smesko echoed her impact on both ends.
“I thought she played great,” Smesko said. “Her defense was excellent. She was looking for her shot. She was kind of disappointed with how she played in the last game, and I loved her mentality going in today. Right from the beginning, she was ready to go.”
Bench Sparks Another Comeback Attempt
Koclanes turned to his reserves to open the fourth quarter—and they responded. Harris went 2-of-3 from deep in the period and finished with 10 points. Charles added seven points and a steal, and Siegrist pitched in six more as the Wings clawed back into contention.
“It’s happened multiple times,” Siegrist told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “That’s encouraging. There’s no moral victory—it doesn’t feel good to lose—but knowing we can battle back against a tough team like Atlanta says something.”
Harris’ three with 6:52 remaining cut the lead to five, but Dallas never got closer. Caldwell responded with a corner three, and Gray and Coffey combined for two key baskets in the final three minutes.
Smesko acknowledged Dallas’ effort after the game.
“They’re really well coached and they kept coming,” Smesko said. “They hurt us on the boards and in transition that fourth quarter. Fortunately, we had some big baskets down the stretch—especially Allisha and Nia hit some big ones to help us keep a little bit of a lead, and we were able to finish it off.”
Paige Bueckers Navigates WNBA Transition
Bueckers, who started strong with early assists and pick-and-roll reads, struggled to find her shot as the game progressed. She played just 28 minutes and after subbing out at the 2:26 mark of the third quarter, she didn’t return until 3:09 was left in regulation.
Pregame, Koclanes spoke about Bueckers’ growth within the system and her playmaking instincts.
“Every game she plays, and we’re in similar actions, so now again, she’s in similar spacing, in similar actions,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “So the reads are—it’s just more—the more repetitions you get, right, the more comfortable you are in making those reads. And to her credit, she just has an ability, when things break down, to go make plays and continue to read and react.”
For Bueckers, the early part of the season has been about adjusting to the WNBA’s speed and learning the tendencies of her new teammates as the Wings work to find offensive continuity.
“Just learning how to play with each other more—learning our tendencies, where we like the ball, sharing more, getting into gaps like we talked about earlier, and just taking the best shot available,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Getting out in transition, creating easy buckets that way, and trying to limit turnovers as much as possible.”
Despite the off night, Gray had high praise for Bueckers.
“She’s a great player,” Gray said. “A great rookie. Making a big impact early. I’m excited to see what she does in the league.”
Leadership and Identity Still Taking Shape
With the Wings still finding their footing, Koclanes has challenged his players to lead vocally and hold each other accountable on the floor and behind the scenes.
“Myisha has been a good presence, a solid veteran presence, and a good voice- a lighthearted voice, yet a stern one,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Paige, as a rookie, is finding her spots and opportunities to be in front of the team as a whole. But even more so, individually behind the scenes, being who she is and doing what she does to get everyone on the same page.”
Koclanes emphasized that the team is trying to win “the margins” through rebounding, pace, and defensive consistency.
“We’re just really focusing on the margins,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Finishing possessions—that’s gang rebounding—and starting possessions with urgency. Your first three steps, how fast you sprint to space, and establishing our shrink defensively. That’s where we’re challenging ourselves.”
Smith said the process remains about internal growth and long-term trust.
“We just need to put a few more pieces together,” Smith told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “But I think it’ll all work out. We’ve got 40 games left—no need to panic.”
Siegrist added: “Coach always says that effort, energy, and attitude are things we can control. That’s what we’ll keep focusing on.”
Final Numbers and What’s Next
Dallas shot 36.6% from the field and 21.7% from three (5-of-23), committing just nine turnovers while recording 17 assists. The Wings’ bench outscored Atlanta’s reserves 39–21, led by Tyasha Harris’ 10 points and Kaila Charles’ nine. Maddy Siegrist contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, while NaLyssa Smith added 13 points in under 18 minutes.
Atlanta finished the game shooting 42.6% from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc (6-of-16). The Dream had three players score in double figures, led by Allisha Gray’s 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep. Gray also added five rebounds and six assists in a complete performance.
Brittney Griner added 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in 28 minutes, while Brionna Jones posted 11 points and 15 rebounds—her fourth straight double-double to open the season. Rhyne Howard finished with nine points and 10 assists, matching her career best. Maya Caldwell added nine points off the bench, including a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter to halt Dallas’ run.
The Dream won the rebounding battle 42–38, recorded 23 assists, and blocked seven shots as a team. Atlanta improved to 2–2 on the season, while Dallas fell to 0–4 and 3–11 all-time when playing in Atlanta.
The Wings continue their road trip on Tuesday, May 27, at Mohegan Sun Arena against the Connecticut Sun. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will air locally on KFAA.
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