Wings Win, Clinch Playoffs behind stellar nights from Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard
The second game of the night was between the Portland Fire (15-22) and the Dallas Wings (22-16). The Wings started the game on a 12-3 run over the first minutes and 45 seconds. A slight response by the Fire brought the lead to 13-8. The lead grew to double digits by the 2:15 mark. At the end of the first quarter, the Wings led 27-18.
The Fire had a quick 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 4, and that is where the second quarter began. After that point, the Wings grew the lead to 8, and it kept growing. By the 1:59 mark, the Wings led 44-31 after only allowing the Fire to score one point over the last two and a half minutes. The lead stayed at 13 as the Wings took a 50-37 lead into halftime.
The Wings started the third quarter on a 15-4 run that lasted for four minutes and 37 seconds left. That score was 64-41. The Fire outscored the Wings for the rest of the quarter 11-7, but the damage was already done. The Wings led 71-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter brought us the same thing as the third. The Wings had a 10-3 run over three minutes to grow the lead to 81-55. The Fire managed to cut the lead to 16 multiple times but never got closer than that. The Wings won 96-78, which clinched their spot in the playoffs.
Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists, and Jessica Shepard had 21 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Arike Ogunbowale also delivered with 17 points and four assists. Next up, the Wings host the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night. The pressure of not having the playoffs clinched will no longer be a problem.
Karlie Samuelson and Bridget Carlson led the scoring for the Fire with 14 points each. Megan DiLeo had 13 points, while Emily Engstler had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Next up for the Fire is a trip to the Atlanta Dream on Friday night.
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