The Dallas Wings are closing in on something that has never happened since the team moved to DFW in 2016 and that is advancing to the semi-finals of the WNBA playoffs.
On Friday night, the Wings took down the Atlanta Dream 94-82 in game one of the first round. Dallas trailed by as many as twenty in the second quarter before using a 28-8 run to storm all the way back.
Satou Sabally led the way for Dallas with 32 points, the most in Wings playoff history. Arike Ogunbowale (24) and Teaira McCowan (17) were the other two Wings in double figures.
Odyssey Sims was another key contributor for the Wings as she played 19 minutes scoring 8 points and going 2-2 from deep. Sims was an impressive +14 off the bench for Dallas.
Much like the majority of the regular season, the Wings dominated the Dream down low. Dallas grabbed 44 rebounds compared to Atlanta’s 32 and outscored them in the paint 48-24.
Game two of the series will take place tomorrow at 8:00 PM from the College Park Center. Fans not attending the game can catch all the action on ESPN.
With a win, the Wings would advance to the semi-finals for the first time in their short history since moving to Dallas.
After their 90-72 win on Sunday, the Las Vegas Aces advanced to the next round and would be the Wings opponent if Dallas were to advance.
Las Vegas finished the season first in the WNBA with a 34-6 record and swept the Chicago Sky in the first round with a point differential of +50.
For the Wings, being in a closeout situation is somewhat of unfamiliar territory.
Since moving to Dallas this will be only the second closeout game that the Wings have ever played, the other of which being a 73-58 game three loss in the first round last year against the Connecticut Sun.
When asked what it would mean to be able to clinch a berth in the second round at home Odyssey Sims said “it would mean a lot; we’re in the driver’s seat of course being up 1-0. We have the opportunity to close it out on Tuesday so we do not have to go back to Atlanta so our biggest thing is take care of home court”.
