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Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd knew where things went wrong after an overtime loss to the New York Liberty. The team had the game in their hands, but a shift in strategy during the final quarter changed everything.
The Dallas Wings suffered a 99-98 overtime loss to the New York Liberty on July 20. This was the second night of a back-to-back for Dallas. The team also played without Paige Bueckers following her injury against the Los Angeles Sparks.
“I think we just started to slow down a little. I think we stopped pushing pace as much, which is what we really doing in the third. I think if we had just stuck with that, who knows? But I think we just started to slow down and got away from what was really working for us,” Fudd said.
The interview was later posted on YouTube by CHAMPSIDE on July 21. The defeat ended a 6-game winning streak for the Wings.
Fudd believed the team abandoned the pace that they had in the 3rd quarter. Dallas outscored New York 21-9 in that period. The Wings entered the 4th quarter holding a 68-59 lead.
Dallas scored only 15 points in the 4th quarter, while New York put up 24 to tie the game at 83-83. Overtime finished 16-15 in favor of the Liberty.
The Liberty won the rebounding battle 48-34, grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, and held an advantage in second-chance points. Costly late fouls also allowed Breanna Stewart to control the closing moments of the game.
This issue is connected to another problem pointed out by the coaching staff.
Jose Fernandez points out another issue for the Wings
Speaking to the Dallas News, he highlighted a specific area that hurt the team early on. “They had a 16-2 second-chance point differential at halftime. That’s a big number, the glass was very important, and we could have done a much better job of that,” Fernandez said.
Rebounding became one of the biggest differences in the game. The coach also addressed the offensive struggles late in the game.
“I thought we got good shots. We got the ball to the elbow, we got the ball to the corners. We knew they were going to go to [a 2-3 zone] a lot just because of Stewie’s length and being able to disrupt,” he noted.
Despite the loss, Arike Ogunbowale led the team with 29 points. Fudd added 15 points while taking on an offensive role without Bueckers on the floor. Jessica Shepard recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
On the other side, Stewart owned the court with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Liberty used their veteran experience and rebounding strength to flip the game in the final minutes.
Dallas will now look ahead to their game against the Portland Fire on July 22, which is their final matchup before the All-Star break.
Did the Wings give this one away by slowing down the pace, or did the Liberty use their size to take it back?
Read more at Her Sports Nation!
