Wings star Arike Ogunbowale’s message after handing Caitlin Clark, Fever defeat

Arike Ogunbowale came through in the clutch for the Wings on Friday.

Wings' Arike Ogunbowale shooting a basketball in background. In front, need both Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and Fever's Caitlin Clark looking serious.

The Dallas Wings spoiled Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA preseason game on Friday with a 79-76 victory. Clark performed well in the loss, scoring a team-leading 21 points. However, Arike Ogunbowale and Jaelyn Brown led Dallas to the win.

Brown led the Wings with 21 points. Ogunbowale added 19 points to go along with a game-winner. Ogunbowale had gone 0-6 from beyond the arc before connecting on a three-point shot with just three seconds remaining on the clock. Her shot gave the Wings a 79-76 lead and Dallas did not look back.

Ogunbowale discussed the moment following the game, via Bally Sports Southwest.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say midseason form. Thank God I made that,” Ogunbowale said. “That was the only three of the game but team handled business. I mean, first game it’s always pretty tough. But everybody handled business. Thank God I made that one.”

Ogunbowale has emerged as one of the best players in the WNBA. The 27-year-old is already a three-time All-Star. She averaged 21.2 points per game during the 2023 campaign.

The Wings always rely on Ogunbowale, but they will especially need her to step up to open the season with Satou Sabally expected to be out until August with an injury.

With that being said, Dallas features a talented enough roster to give Ogunbowale plenty of help.

Arike Ogunbowale confident in Wings’ future

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) drives to the basket as Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler (17) defends during the second half at College Park Center.

As mentioned earlier, rookie Jaelyn Brown performed well on Friday. Rookie Jacy Sheldon also recorded respectable numbers in her first preseason game. Ogunbowale addressed the Wings’ future after seeing the rookies in game-action.

“Yeah, I mean we have a bright future,” Ogunbowale said. “Like I said, that obviously wasn’t our best game. But it’s the first game of the season. We just getting our feet wet. We got a lot to improve on, I’m glad we won at home.”

The Wings reached the postseason in 2023. Although Dallas fell short of their championship goal, there is hope for the 2024 season.

The Wings know Ogunbowale is going to play at an All-Star level. Dallas also expects Sabally to perform at a similar level once she returns from injury. If the team’s young players can find consistency, then Dallas will surprise some people in the WNBA.

Dallas makes a preseason trade

The Wings announced a trade on Saturday following their Friday victory. Dallas acquired a 2025 third-round pick from the Atlanta Dream for guard Crystal Dangerfield.

Additionally, the Wings announced that forward Emma Cannon was waived.

Dangerfield, 25, spent just one season with Dallas before getting traded on Saturday. She averaged 8.2 points per outing in 2023.

Cannon spent 2023 with the Fever. She saw just under six minutes of preseason action on Friday.

The Wings will add depth for the future with the third-round draft pick. Perhaps the player selected will play an impactful role down the road.

For now, Dallas will focus on preparing for the regular season. The Wings’ 2024 home-opener is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15. They will host the Chicago Sky on May 15 and May 18 to begin the new campaign before heading on the road to play the Dream in Atlanta on May 21.