Shepard's Historic Triple-Double and Arike’s Fourth-Quarter Takeover Clip the Sky
Shepard's Historic Triple-Double and Arike’s Fourth-Quarter Takeover Clip the Sky
CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky might have the skyline, but on Wednesday night, Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale owned the airspace.
In a thrilling 99-89 victory for the Dallas Wings, Shepard put on an absolute clinic, dropping the WNBA's very first triple-double of the season. And just when the Sky threatened to ruin the party late in the fourth quarter, Arike Ogunbowale did what Arike does best: she turned into a human flame-thrower.
The Stat Leaders (The Box Score of Doom)
Player Points Rebounds Assists The "Sanchez Audit" Impact
Jessica Shepard (DAL) 18 10 12 Shot an absurd 6-of-7 from the floor—historic behavior.
Paige Bueckers (DAL) 24 3 4 Smooth, clinical, and completely unfazed.
Arike Ogunbowale (DAL) 23 2 5 Scored 11 in the 4th. Ice in her veins.
Kamilla Cardoso (CHI) 24 11 1 A beast in the paint, but lacked late-game backup.
Natasha Cloud (CHI). 21 8 6 Tried to drag Chicago back into it from the free-throw line.
How It Happened: The Third-Quarter Avalanche
Early on, it looked like Dallas was in for a long night. Chicago’s Rachel Banham converted a spicy four-point play to cap off a 10-0 run, burying the Wings in an 11-point deficit late in the first quarter.
But the third quarter belonged entirely to Dallas, who unleashed their highest-scoring period of the entire season by outscoring Chicago 34-26. The Wings shot a blistering 68.8% (11 of 16) from the field in the frame, led by Shepard, who casually put up 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in that single quarter alone.
The Heartbreak in Chicago: The Sky were visibly reeling from the loss of their leading scorer, Rickea Jackson (18.0 PPG), who missed her first game after suffering a devastating, season-ending ACL injury on Sunday.
The Turning Point: Arike Answers the Call
With 2:32 left on the clock, Chicago's Natasha Cloud knocked down two clutch free throws to trim the Wings' lead to a precarious three points. The home crowd was loud, and momentum was wearing blue.
Then Arike happened.
Exactly 11 seconds after Cloud's free throws, Ogunbowale pulled up and buried a cold-blooded 3-pointer. Less than a minute later, she did it again, hitting another dagger from deep to make it 93-84 and effectively putting the Sky on a flight to nowhere. Ogunbowale scored 11 of her 23 points in the final frame, snapping Dallas' ugly six-game losing skid against Chicago.
Up Next
Dallas Wings (3-2): Packing their bags for Atlanta on Friday. Let's see if Shepard can keep the stat-sheet stuffing going.
Chicago Sky (3-2): Hosting Minnesota on Saturday, desperately needing to find offensive answers without Jackson in the lineup.
