Who Got Run Over
Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points and made five 3-pointers, Jessica Shepard piled up 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and the Dallas Wings beat the Las Vegas Aces 96-66 on Monday night in Arlington, Texas, for their fifth straight win at home. Dallas put 29 points on the board in the first quarter and built a 28-point lead with 3:13 left in the first half, leaving Las Vegas to scramble before closing on a 9-0 run to get within 56-37 at the break.
Shepard had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists by halftime, while Ogunbowale and Azzi Fudd each scored 11. Paige Bueckers ended Dallas’ six-minute field-goal drought, spanning halftime, on a 3-pointer early in the third for a 59-39 lead, and the Wings stayed in double figures the rest of the way. Fudd finished with 19 points and Bueckers had 10 points and seven assists for Dallas, which improved to 9-5.
The Bench, the Break, the Blowout
Awak Kuier, who made her first start for the Wings since Sept. 5, 2023, scored seven points in 27 minutes. Shepard moved into a tie with Angel Reese for the most double-doubles in the WNBA this season with nine and was subbed out with 4:41 remaining in the fourth. On the other side, Jewell Loyd had 21 points and five 3-pointers off the bench, and A’ja Wilson added 18 points for Las Vegas, which fell to 10-4. Chelsea Gray was scoreless in 29 minutes and Jackie Young scored six points on 3-of-13 shooting.
In the teams’ first meeting this season on May 28, Shepard had 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Wings beat the Aces 95-87. Both teams play again on Wednesday, with Las Vegas traveling to Phoenix and Dallas playing at Golden State.
Golden State’s Assembly-Line Win
In San Francisco, Gabby Williams scored 16 points, Kaila Charles came off the bench to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Los Angeles Sparks 78-58 on Monday night for their third straight win. The Valkyries made eight of their first 13 shots to take a quick lead and a 25-10 advantage after one quarter, then kept pushing the ball inside all game for 36 points in the paint and 30 bench points.
Veronica Burton scored 12 points and Cecilia Zandalasini contributed 10 for Golden State. Charles scored the final seven points of the first half and went 5 of 7 from the floor overall with two 3-pointers, helping the Valkyries build a 45-26 lead at the break. The Sparks, meanwhile, had a three-game winning streak snapped as Rae Burrell scored 13 points and Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike were held to nine points apiece in an off night shooting for Los Angeles.
What the Crowd Saw, What the Injury Machine Left Behind
Forward Cameron Brink went down hard in the closing minutes and was helped to the bench with an apparent ankle injury, though coach Lynne Roberts said, “she’s getting evaluated right now.” Brink walked out of the locker room postgame on her own. Sparks guard Kate Martin received a warm welcome back — a video tribute and rousing ovation from the sellout crowd at Chase Center — after she played the inaugural 2025 season for Golden State and started this year with the team. She had three points, three rebounds and a pair of assists in 11 minutes.
Golden State jumped out to an 8-0 lead, making three of its first six shots while Los Angeles missed its first five before Plum hit a 3 with 6:43 left in the opening quarter. Veteran and former Stanford star Ogwumike missed her first three shots as Los Angeles began 3 of 13 and 1 for 6 from deep. The Sparks wound up 33.3% on field goals. Sparks host Minnesota on Wednesday night, and the Valkyries host Dallas on Wednesday night.