The Dallas Wings had a chance to make history on Tuesday night as they took on the Atlanta Dream in game two of the WNBA playoffs.
With a win, the Wings would advance to the semifinals for the first time since moving to DFW back in 2016.
When asked how important it would be to close this one out at home, Head Coach Latricia Trammell said:
“We would love to do that in front of our home crowd; they’ve been so loyal and supportive of our team all season long, so this would be a special moment for us and for them.”
Unlike game one, the first quarter of game two was much of a back-and-forth one, as the Dream would lead 24-23 after the first frame. Dallas struggled from the field in that quarter, shooting just 38% and 17% from deep.
Natasha Howard struggled in the opening frame, going 0-6 and 0-3 from deep.
However, Dallas dominated the second quarter to steal all the momentum heading into the locker room. The Wings led 52-34, and a spot in the semifinals seemed near.
The Wings outscored the Dream 29-10 in the second quarter. Once again, Arike Ogunbowale (13) and Satou Sabally (11) led the way for Dallas.
Entering the final frame, the Wings led 70-50 and were one quarter away from the semifinals. Dallas dominated the defensive end in the 3rd en route to their 20-point lead.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Wings took down the Dream by a score of 101-74 to sweep the first-round series and advance to the WNBA semifinals for the first time in team history.
Dallas dominated on both ends of the court tonight, and that led to the victory.
The Wings had seven players in double figures, including Awak Kuier with 13 and Kalani Brown with 12. That was the first time in WNBA Playoff history that seven players scored in double figures.
Dallas will advance to take on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the second round, with games one and two taking place in Vegas before the Wings return to College Park Center for game three of the series.
After the win, Wings head coach Latricia Tramell said:
“Just ecstatic for this team: what a great balanced win; it was a great night for this organization.”
Photo: —
