In a game that started off pretty slowly with both teams scoring just 16 points, the Dallas Wings found a way to pull out their third-straight victory over the Phoenix Mercury 77-74. This is a team they really struggled with just a season ago as the Tulsa Shock.
Shooting under 40 percent for the entire game and under 30 percent for the majority of the first half, it was clear that they weren’t going to win this game offensively. This team is pretty offensively stout, averaging 86.2 points per game. Tuesday night, it was rebounding, free throw shooting, and improved defense that won the game for the Wings.
“I thought it was a good team effort, especially defensively. It was a low scoring game for two teams that score in the 90s and 80s regularly. Glory Johnson had a great game on the boards, a career hight, and made some tough shots in the end for us. I was pleased with the way we played tonight and shared the basketball.”
-Wings Head Coach Fred Williams on tonight’s win.
Dallas out-rebounded Phoenix 47-24.
Primarily due to Glory Johnson, who had perhaps the best game of her career, finishing with 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, nine of which being offensive. She played almost every minute (38:35) and it showed in the stats. She was the consistent force that pushed the Wings past Phoenix tonight. This is her second straight double-double and fifth of the season. She’s really becoming a dangerous force in the league, just months after she gave birth to twins and you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her, or her game either. Not to mention, she had 12 rebounds at halftime. Karima Christmas and Courtney Paris also rebounded the ball well, combining for 14.
Johnson on her career game.
Free throw shooting was all the offense this team needed to get past the Mercury.
Shooting 36.5 percent from the field won’t win many games for any team in professional basketball whether it’s the NBA or WNBA, but shooting 18-21 from the free throw line may. 85.7 percent for the game, respectfully better than their season average of 79.8.
Odyssey Sims offensive game started off slowly, scoring just seven points on 1-7 shooting in the first half, but her free throws made up for her missed buckets. After awhile, shots started falling for her as she finished the game with 19 points for the sixth time this season. Other than shooting 31.3 percent for the game, she was outstanding by controlling the offense when things looked unorganized and also got her teammate Aerial Powers involved early in the game, scoring 11 first-half points in just 8:25. Powers finished the game with 17 on the night and decreased the amount of fouls she usually commits with none.
They contained Griner in the post and Taurasi on the perimeter.
Brittney finished with just 13 points and four rebounds. She did manage to dish out six assists but that’s acceptable when she’s not tearing up the boards and blocking everything in sight (she had five blocks, which is tolerable when she’s coming off 10 blocks in her last performance). She looked frustrated the entire game and couldn’t really get into a rhythm until late and by then, it was too late. Taurasi did finish with 22 points, but she wasn’t overly effective until the final minutes of the game where she knocked down a few big shots.
This was a nice victory for the Wings that are now (9-10) on the season. They’ve made this rivalry less significant, at least this season after defeating Phoenix three times with only one meeting left in the regular season.
Extra facts following tonight’s game.
- 46 team rebounds tonight was the third time the Wings have grabbed 40+ team rebounds this season.
- Tonight’s attendance was 5,480, raising the season average to 5,253 per game. In total, 57,785 Wings fans have seen the team play this season, in 11 games.
- Johnson also set a new league-high with nine offensive rebounds tonight, a mark previously held by teammates Karima Christmas and Courtney Paris.
Featured image: azcentral.com
Excellent article!