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Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard reached a major milestone Wednesday night after notching a triple-double in a 101-97 win over the Portland Fire.
Shepard finished the game with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 7-of-11 from the field. Her performance gave her the second-most triple-doubles in WNBA history, breaking her tie with Sabrina Ionescu. The triple-double was also her fourth of the season, with her 10th assist coming on Azzi Fudd’s clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Dallas improved to 18-9 with the win, bouncing back after the team’s six-game winning streak was snapped in a 99-98 overtime loss to the New York Liberty on Monday.
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Paige Bueckers returned to the lineup after missing the game against the Liberty because of soreness following a collision with Nneka Ogwumike during the Wings’ 90-82 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. Bueckers scored 21 points and added five assists against Portland, including several clutch baskets during the second half. She hit a 3-pointer with 8:05 remaining to give Dallas it’s first double-digit lead of the night at 83-73.
Arike Ogunbowale also played a big role in the win, scoring all 24 of her points in the second half. After taking only two shots in the opening half, Ogunbowale exploded for 15 points in the third quarter while shooting 6-of-7 from the field. She finished 8-of-12 overall and contributed six assists.
The Wings trailed 42-40 at halftime after the Fire shot 50% from the field in the opening two quarters. Dallas turned things around in the third quarter, outscoring Portland 36-27 to take a 76-69 advantage into the final period. Ogunbowale and Bueckers combined for 23 points in the quarter.
The Fire made a late push after the Wings built a 12-point lead. Megan DiLeo’s layup and Karlie Samuelson’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 91-88 with 2:34 left. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Fudd and Bueckers restored a 99-90 Dallas lead, but Portland scored seven straight points to make it 99-97 with 32 seconds remaining. Bridget Carleton missed a potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer, and Maddy Siegrist secured the victory with two free throws.
DiLeo led the Fire with 21 points, while Carleton scored 18, Frieda Buhner added 15, Carla Leite had 12 and Samuelson finished with 10.
The Wings shot 48.6% from the field (35-of-72) and won the rebounding battle 35-22, while the Fire shot 56.9% (37-of-65).
With seven wins in its last eight games, Dallas enters the All-Star break playing some of its best basketball. The Wings will also be well represented during All-Star weekend, as Shepard and Bueckers are set to start Saturday’s All-Star Game, while Fudd will compete in the 3-point contest.
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