The Dallas Wings (9-24) and Washington Mystic (10-23) entered College Park Center on Tuesday looking to bounce back after their last game. Unfortunately, Dallas dropped a heartbreaker, 90-86, going 0-3 against Washington this season.
Head coach Latricia Trammell said the team was focused on locking in defensively and not giving up easy 3-pointers. Washington currently sits third in the league with made 3-pointers while the Wings are eighth.
After taking a day off, the team went into Tuesday’s practice energized, knowing how important the next three games are for its playoff hopes. Trammell said that the game would come down to sharing the basketball, setting up screens and assists.
“Every game is a playoff game, and so we've got to treat it that way,” Trammell said. “Everyone's good in this league, and we know that. Everyone's really playing well. Washington's not any different.”
Guard Arike Ogunbowale led all Wings scorers with 21 points and four assists. Ogunbowale set another record Tuesday, surpassing Skylar-Diggins Smith for most free throws made in Wings history with 757.
Center Teaira McCowan recorded her 11th double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. McCowan said it was a much-needed performance, with her teammates boosting her up after underdelivering in the past few games.
During the second quarter, forward Satou Sabally headed to the locker room to have her shoulder evaluated, which sidelined her for a large part of the season. Despite having their roster back, Trammell said Sabally and many other players are not at 100% yet.
Center Kalani Brown recorded 10 points and said the team will reevaluate how they start games and their energy. The team is fighting for playoff contention and she said they need to act like it.
“We can't come out the way we started,” Brown said. “It was flat. We were relaxed, like we not trying to make playoffs and I think we got on each other about that, but Washington's a well-coached team. You can't come out against well-coached teams like that. They're not going to let you out of the hole.”
Looking ahead to Friday’s game, the team plans on getting back in the gym, watching film and looking to add another win, Trammell said.
The Wings will hit the road 6:30 p.m. Friday against the Atlanta Dream, kicking off their two-game road stretch.
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