‘We’re Fighters’: Paige Bueckers Scores 34, Dallas Wings Beat Toronto Tempo 108-95 In First Montreal WNBA Game

MONTREAL — Paige Bueckers scored a season-high 34 points, and the Dallas Wings rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the Toronto Tempo 108-95 on Friday in the first WNBA game ever played in Montreal, in front of a record crowd of 20,996 at Bell Centre.

Dallas (15-8) swept the season series from Toronto (9-13), extended its winning streak to four games to match its longest of the season, and picked up its first four-game road winning streak since 2022. The sellout crowd broke the WNBA’s regular-season attendance mark of 20,711, set by the Washington Mystics in 2024, as part of the Tempo’s inaugural-season Cross-Canada Series in Montreal.

Bueckers led five Wings in double figures, shooting 13-of-22 from the field with a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard each scored 20 points, and Azzi Fudd added 13.

Bueckers said the offense found its rhythm early and never lost it, even while Dallas was playing catch-up.

“I think we were sharing the ball really well. We were getting out in transition and pushing the pace. Honestly, we were really happy with our offense,” Bueckers said. “It was just our defense that kept us from extending the lead earlier. But we shared the ball, moved it from side to side, attacked the paint, got paint sprays, created threes in transition, and stayed aggressive. Everybody was hunting their own shot while also creating for others.”

Marina Mabrey Fuels Toronto Tempo’s Early Control

Toronto raced ahead behind Marina Mabrey, who made 4 3-pointers and scored 17 points in the opening period as the Tempo shot 6-of-7 from deep and built a 33-25 lead. It was the most points Dallas has allowed in a single quarter since Aug. 27, 2025.

Shepard scored the Wings’ first 6 points, and Bueckers led Dallas with 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, but Dallas made just 1 of 3 3-point attempts as Toronto’s hot start put the Wings in an early hole.

Toronto’s lead grew to 13, 42-29, 2:20 into the second quarter after the Tempo opened the frame on a 9-4 run. Dallas’ defense held Mabrey scoreless from the field the rest of the half, though Laura Juškaitė picked up the slack, going 5-of-6 for 12 points.

The Wings twice cut the deficit to 4, including at the halftime buzzer, when Bueckers made a 16-foot jumper to close the half 3-of-3 from the field for 6 points in the quarter. Dallas trailed 56-52 at the break.

Paige Bueckers Leads Rally After Halftime

Ogunbowale scored the first 5 points of the third quarter, giving Dallas its first lead since the opening three minutes of the game. The teams traded the lead the rest of the way, with 7 ties and 6 lead changes in the period.

Bueckers scored 11 in the quarter to Mabrey’s 13, and Toronto still led 85-84 after three quarters until Odyssey Sims drained a buzzer-beating three to pull Dallas within 1.

Much of Bueckers’ third-quarter production came on post-ups at the elbow, a wrinkle Fernandez pointed to afterward.

“The post-ups coming out of halftime were huge. We got her isolated at the elbow, and I thought we did a good job finding her,” Jose Fernandez said.

Bueckers credited her teammates for creating the space.

“My teammates did a really good job setting and holding screens to help me get an advantage and play in space,” Bueckers said. “We also moved the ball well and didn’t get stagnant, so they were constantly rotating and closing out. That’s hard to guard. Transition helped, too. It was really a full team effort where everybody contributed.”

Dallas also targeted Mabrey’s foul trouble out of the break.

“Marina Mabrey had three fouls at halftime, so our opening play was to isolate Arike in the post to try to pick up Mabrey’s fourth foul. Jess did a great job getting her the basketball, and Arike caught it and finished,” Fernandez said. “I also thought Arike put the ball on the deck really, really well, got to the rim, and hit a big three in the fourth quarter right in front of our bench.”

Ogunbowale said the ball found her once the aggression carried over.

“I felt like I was aggressive. The team was feeding me when they saw that I was being aggressive, so that’s something I need to do more of,” Ogunbowale said. “As a unit, we all came in ready. Alysha came in ready. Odyssey came in and did her thing. Everybody was locked in and focused.”

Alysha Clark, Dallas Wings’ Defense Seal It

Dallas turned the game with defense, holding Toronto to its lowest-scoring quarter of the season. The Tempo shot 5-of-14 and missed all 5 of their 3-point attempts in the fourth, and Mabrey, who had carried Toronto for three quarters, was held to just 2 points in the period. Dallas also won the rebounding battle 9-5 in the quarter and forced 4 Toronto turnovers.

“In the fourth quarter, we held them to 10 points. They didn’t hit a three in the fourth. That was the difference. I thought we guarded the arc much better, and our pickup points were a lot higher,” Fernandez said.

Ogunbowale agreed it was the team’s best defensive stretch of the night.

“It started with Paige and Jess getting on the boards, but I think we all played well. Like Paige said, our defense was what was stopping us early, but in the fourth quarter we played our best defense of the game. I’m happy with that,” Ogunbowale said.

Bueckers said the group leaned on discipline built throughout the game.

“It’s tough not to get deflated when she’s making those tough shots while you’re playing really good defense. But we just told ourselves to stay with it because that’s what she does,” Bueckers said. “We stayed disciplined, built a wall, made her see two or three bodies, rotated, scrambled, and became more physical. I thought we made their catches more difficult and pushed their offense farther from the basket. We really honed in on the defensive end.”

Alysha Clark scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter, 2 shy of her career high for points in a single quarter, and made all 4 of her shot attempts, including both 3-point tries.

“I think the X-factor was Alysha Clark coming off the bench. She defended their four really, really well and hit two big threes during that stretch. Credit to her for staying ready. We needed something a little different defensively because their four was stretching the floor and making shots,” Fernandez said.

Clark said the readiness comes from experience.

“Just being a professional. You always have to be ready,” Clark said. “I’ve been through this earlier in my career, so it’s about staying ready and trusting the work. I know what I’ve put in up to this point. That’s what I’ve been doing, so it’s just making sure I stay confident and ready. Nothing special.”

Fernandez said Clark’s value shows up even in games she doesn’t play.

“She does a great job in practice, in film sessions, and in shootaround because she’s been there. She’s experienced,” Fernandez said. “We needed her tonight, and she came through.”

Bueckers and Ogunbowale each scored 7 in the fourth to close out the win, and Fernandez credited Aziaha James for switching across multiple matchups off the bench, including a strong look at Mabrey late.

Clark also credited the small-ball look she shared with Shepard.

“It gives us a lot more versatility. It spreads the floor and allows us to do a lot of different things defensively while also manipulating the offense on the other end,” Clark said. “Jess is an amazing facilitator at that position. When she has people around her who can move and play freely, I think that’s when we’re at our best. It’s just about playing off each other.”

Milestones for Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale

Fernandez had a lengthy list of standout performers to praise.

“Paige had a phenomenal game with 34, and Marina Mabrey had 34 for them. I thought Arike’s 20 points and seven assists were huge. Jessica Shepard got 17 rebounds, and I don’t know how many points she finished with,” Fernandez said.

Bueckers’ 34 points marked the fourth 30-point game of her career and a season high. It was her sixth game this season with at least 20 points and 6 assists, the second most in the WNBA.

Shepard’s 20-point, 17-rebound night was her 14th double-double of the season and her third with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds. She played all 40 minutes.

Ogunbowale’s 20 points marked her eighth 20-point game of the season, and her 7 assists tied her season high.

Dallas shot 52.7% from the field and improved to 6-0 this season when shooting at least 50%, and 44% from 3-point range. Awak Kuier made her 10th consecutive start alongside Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Fudd and Shepard and finished with 3 points. Off the bench, Dallas outscored Toronto 18-3, led by Clark’s 10 points and Sims’ 8. The Wings also out-rebounded Toronto 32-24, won the second-chance points battle 15-8, and have scored 100 or more points in four games this season, winning all four, though Toronto led in points in the paint 36-32.

Marina Mabrey, Short-Handed Toronto Tempo Falls Short

Mabrey matched Bueckers with 34 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and Juškaitė added 25. Isabelle Harrison grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds, and María Conde dished a game-high 9 assists for Toronto. The Tempo played without Temi Fagbenle (concussion protocol), Kiki Rice (left ankle), Nyara Sabally (left knee), and Brittney Sykes (left foot), and has lost four straight.

“She creates space. She does a really, really good job creating separation,” Fernandez said of Mabrey.

Fernandez said Dallas leaned on its game plan even as Toronto made difficult shots for three quarters.

“I just told our group, ‘As well as Toronto is shooting it, let’s stay the course.’ It was a three-, four-, five-point game, and if they were going to shoot like that for the entire 40 minutes, then you’d tip your hat to them because they were making tough shots outside of Mabrey, too,” Fernandez said. “Our point of pickup had to be better, and I think we did a much better job with that in the second half.”

Dallas Wings’ Identity Taking Shape

Dallas has now won four straight games, all away from College Park Center, and Bueckers said the group’s identity is becoming clear.

“We’ve learned that we’re fighters. We’re resilient. We stay composed and stay together regardless of what run the other team goes on,” Bueckers said. “We fight until the final buzzer. We have different people who can step in and contribute on any given night. We’re a selfless team that’s willing to sacrifice for whoever has it going that night. It’s really fun to play when everybody loves each other, loves coming to work, and shares the same goal, which is winning.”

Fernandez was already looking ahead to the trip home.

“It’s a good win, especially in the last game of this four-game road trip. We’re looking forward to getting back to Dallas and playing at the American Airlines Center on Sunday,” Fernandez said.

He credited the opponent on the way out.

“Four straight wins on the road is huge,” Fernandez said. “Toronto is tough to guard. They play with great spacing and great pace. For a fan, that was a great game to watch. For a coach, not so much.”

As the session wrapped, Ogunbowale had the final word on Bueckers’ night: “And she just cold as hell. Period. Time to go.”

Up Next

Dallas returns home to host the Chicago Sky at 6 p.m. CT Sunday at American Airlines Center. The game airs nationally on ESPN.