‘It Was a Statement’: Dallas Wings Dominate Seattle Storm Amid Arike Ogunbowale’s Record and Team Resurgence
What began as a sloppy, familiar script turned into a defining moment for a team still writing its identity. The Dallas Wings clawed out of an early 10-point hole and then throttled the Seattle Storm 87–63 Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena, riding a monster second half and a milestone performance from Arike Ogunbowale to their most complete win of the season.
It was Dallas’ third-largest victory over Seattle in franchise history, and it is a blueprint for what this team believes it can be.
“This is a fresh start,” Ogunbowale said. “Second half of the season — whatever happened before, we learn from it, leave the bad behind, and build new habits. This was a great team win.”
Early Struggles, Late Poise
Seattle opened on an 8–0 run before Dallas even took a clean shot. Six of those points came from Wings turnovers. By the 6:28 mark, head coach Chris Koclanes had already called a timeout, and the Wings had committed six turnovers in less than four minutes.
That rocky start might’ve sunk the Wings a month ago. This time, they settled in.
“Not at the start, but definitely as the game went on,” Koclanes said of his team’s urgency. “For us, urgency isn’t pressure — it’s about focus on each action. Think small to play big.”
And that focus began to sharpen.
Out of the timeout, the tide began to shift. Ogunbowale broke the seal with a pull-up on a drive. Aziaha James added a finish. Then Li Yueru, in her first game back in Seattle since being traded in June, calmly buried a top-of-the-key three.
“I think this team has a lot of resiliency and fight,” said Haley Jones. “Even when we start out behind — whether it’s against the Aces or tonight — there’s no internal panic. We stay together.”
Among the sparks that helped flip momentum early was Yueru, playing her first game back in Seattle since being traded to Dallas on June 14. The former Storm big provided plenty of timely contributions throughout the rest of her performance.
“I was so happy to come back here,” Yueru said. “To be honest, I felt a little nervous, and I didn’t really find a good rhythm on offense. So I tried to do other things to help the team win.”
The Wings trailed 19–15 after one, but the storm had passed.
Finding a Rhythm
Seattle twice pushed its lead to double digits in the second quarter. But Dallas kept chipping away. DiJonai Carrington, playing for the first time since June 20, added four points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Grace Berger made her Wings debut, grabbing four boards and handing out an assist.
Luisa Geiselsöder carried the scoring load, knocking down a pair of threes and finishing with eight in the quarter. Then, with the Wings trailing by five and the clock winding down, Ogunbowale beat the buzzer with a deep three to cut Seattle’s lead to just two at the half.
“That shot gave us a lot of momentum,” Ogunbowale said. “We were struggling a bit, but we stayed composed and kept fighting.”
The Run That Changed Everything
Whatever was said in the Dallas locker room at halftime worked.
The Wings opened the third quarter with a 17–0 run, turning a two-point deficit into a 15-point lead before Seattle could respond. Ogunbowale drilled three threes and poured in 11 points in the quarter. Paige Bueckers, who had just two points in the first half, came alive with midrange floaters and pinpoint passing.
“Our response was great,” Bueckers said. “We never let a slow start or adversity dictate how we play. At halftime, we focused on limiting their points off turnovers. They had a lot in the first half, zero in the second. We took care of the ball, got good shots, and kept defending well.”
After just two points in the first half, Bueckers scored 12 in the second, finishing with 14 points and six assists. She became the fastest player in WNBA history (tied with Caitlin Clark) to reach 300 points and 100 assists, doing so in her 19th game.
“In the first half, they did a great job trapping and limiting my touches,” Bueckers said. “I just tried to play within the team rhythm and not force anything. In the second half, shots started opening up because my teammates were making plays.”
Jones added two assists and two buckets in the run. JJ Quinerly, part of the team’s evolving starting group, posted a career-high seven rebounds while adding nine points and four assists on the night. Dallas shot 55.6% in the quarter and outscored Seattle 32–15.
“We kept pushing, especially at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third,” said Jones. “That stretch was huge, and I think we can really build off momentum like that.”
While Dallas took control, Seattle’s stars still made an impact.
Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and four steals, setting a Storm single-season record with her sixth game of the year posting four or more steals. Ezi Magbegor added 12 points and nine boards while going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line.
A Milestone Sealed With a Mid-Range
By the fourth quarter, Dallas was in full control. The ball movement stayed crisp. The defensive rotations stayed sharp. And the moment of the night belonged to Ogunbowale.
With 3:39 left, she pulled up from 15 feet and buried her seventh field goal of the game — her 1,477th in a Wings uniform — passing Deanna Nolan to become the franchise’s all-time leader in field goals made.
“My teammates,” Ogunbowale said. “I missed some easy ones in the first half, but at halftime they kept saying, ‘Next one’s in.’ That support helped me stay confident.”
Ogunbowale finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting. She had missed four games earlier this month due to a left thumb injury and scored just 11 total points on 3-of-22 shooting across the two games before the All-Star break.
Not even a sequence in which Ogwumike threw Geiselsöder to the ground, resulting in a double technical scuffle in the fourth, could shake the Wings.
“We were up at the time, and it’s their home court, so that kind of stuff can give the other team energy,” Ogunbowale said. “But we stayed focused, didn’t get distracted, and kept doing what we were doing.”
When Everything Clicks
Four Wings scored in double figures — Ogunbowale (20), Bueckers (14), Geiselsöder (11), and Jones (10). Yueru pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Dallas shot 50% in the second half, had 25 assists, and turned the ball over just four times after halftime.
“We talk a lot about sharing the ball and gang rebounding,” said Koclanes. “Everyone has to contribute. Our guards have to rebound, too, especially when we ask our posts to rotate out. DiJonai [Carrington] gave us great effort on the glass. It’s a group effort, and tonight it really showed.”
Geiselsöder hit a career-high three threes and praised the team’s growing chemistry.
“We’re starting to really get to know each other more and more with every game,” she said. “The assists come because we’re learning each other’s movements. We know what shots we’re comfortable taking, and we trust every shot someone takes. That trust shows in how we play.”
The Point Forward and the Perfect Fit
Jones continued her rise as Dallas’ ultimate utility player, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists in just 31 minutes. Her role expanded with Myisha Hines-Allen sidelined. On a team searching for consistency and connectivity, she’s proving to be a critical anchor.
“I consider myself a point forward,” Jones said. “That’s kind of the umbrella for everything I do — I can handle the ball, create plays, rebound, defend multiple spots. I feel like that term fits me best.”
Whether running point in transition, switching onto post players, or working off the ball, her ability to adapt has made her invaluable.
“She’s a Swiss Army knife — you can plug her in anywhere,” said Koclanes. “Her pace and versatility really help us. Whether she’s at guard or forward, she can push the ball, make plays, and give us another dimension offensively.”
That versatility extends to the other side of the ball, too. Koclanes praised her defensive presence, not just for effort, but her intelligence.
“She’s undersized at times but competes hard,” Koclanes said. “She plays tendencies well, positions early, and stays disciplined. She’s also great off the ball and helps organize our defense.”
Beyond the stats, her energy and leadership are becoming contagious.
“Haley’s been huge for us,” said Geiselsöder. “She brings energy and plays with heart. She literally leaves everything on the court. I’m really proud and happy to be her teammate. She’s got a great personality on and off the court, and with her, I think we have a great chance in the second half of the season.”
As the Wings continue to define themselves in the second half of the year, Jones looks like a player they can build around, wherever she lines up.
Growing Frontcourt Connection
In the post, Geiselsöder and Yueru continued to grow as a tandem.
“I’m starting to understand her movements better — what shots and passes she likes,” Geiselsöder said. “She can shoot from the outside, and I can be inside, so we balance each other well. It’s a good fit.”
Their inside-out combination gave Dallas versatility on both ends, with Yueru anchoring the glass and Geiselsöder spacing the floor. Together, they combined for 19 points, 17 rebounds, and three made threes.
Yueru said the team’s trust in her has been central to her confidence since joining the Wings in June.
“I feel like the team gives me a lot of energy,” Yueru added. “They believe in me and make me feel like I can do more. Even when I don’t feel great on offense, they still trust me and keep me on the court to help in other ways. I really appreciate that, and I promise I’ll keep getting better.”
She finished with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds — her second double-digit rebounding effort in the last four games — but she’s focused on what’s next.
“For myself, I feel I still need to improve on defense — like how to position myself between the dribbler and shooter, and how to give space,” she said. “That’s something I’ll keep working on.”
Koclanes echoed that development mindset across the board, crediting both posts for buying into the team-first identity.
“We talk a lot about sharing the ball and gang rebounding,” he said. “Everyone has to contribute. Our guards have to rebound, too, especially when we ask our posts to rotate out. DA gave us great effort on the glass. It’s a group effort, and tonight it really showed.”
With the Yueru–Geiselsöder duo evolving, bench contributions steady, and clearer rotations starting to emerge, Dallas has a foundation it can build on.
A Chance to Build
Dallas (7–17) now heads to Chase Center to face the Golden State Valkyries on Friday (9 p.m. CT, ION). The Wings won the first meeting 80–71 in June and will look to string together wins for the first time in over a month.
“I think it was a statement. We’re showing people we’re here, and we want to be better,” Geiselsöder said. “We’re not okay with losing or how we’ve been losing. We’re competing, and every game is a new opportunity.”
If Tuesday was any indication, they’re ready to make something of that opportunity.
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