Dallas Wings guard Aziaha James shoots the ball during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 19 at College Park Center. James recorded five steals.
For 11 seasons, the Dallas Wings (26-16) have called UTA’s College Park Center home. On Saturday, they played their final scheduled regular-season game at the arena, winning 87-82 over the Phoenix Mercury (15-27).
The team announced in August that this season would be its last in Arlington, as it plans to move to the American Airlines Center in Dallas in 2027.
“To have the city of Arlington backing us, that they were our sixth man, and they won us plenty of games just being there and being loud and having our back,” Wings guard Paige Bueckers said.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, right, and forward Awak Kuier celebrate during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 19 at College Park Center. Bueckers recorded five assists.
The Wings entered their final home game of the regular season on a five-game winning streak, dating back to before the two-week World Cup break. Dallas clinched a playoff berth before the break but came into the game eighth in the league, the last playoff seed.
With the win, the team jumped up to sixth, a half game ahead of the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.
The Mercury, meanwhile, have been eliminated from playoff contention for almost a month and entered Arlington tied for the fourth-worst record in the league.
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale shoots a layup during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 19 at College Park Center. Ogunbowale scored 22 points.
The Mercury took the lead first, but the Wings kept the gap close in the first quarter, never letting it go above seven. The opening frame was defined by the referee’s whistle, as the two teams attempted a combined 16 free throws. Phoenix led 24-19 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Bueckers hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 41. On the next possession, Wings center Jessica Shepard sank two free throws to take the team’s first lead of the day. Dallas went back to the tunnels up 56-49. Twenty-seven fouls were called in the first 20 minutes.
“It was terrible,” Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said about his team’s perimeter defense. “Pick and roll coverage, and then we were up to touch, we hedged, then we wanted to blitz, then we switched in our communication. Phoenix did a good job of exploiting that.”
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers attempts a floater over the defender during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 19 at College Park Center. Bueckers scored 26 points.
The teams retook the floor and did not score for the first two minutes of the second half. The Mercury eventually fought back enough to tie the game at 60, but the Wings countered with an 8-0 run. Phoenix was able to salvage the end of the third quarter, bringing the deficit to four entering the final frame.
Phoenix kept the game close throughout the fourth quarter, bringing the deficit to one point with just over two minutes remaining. Dallas, though, never lost the lead, always staying just ahead of the Mercury to send the Arlington crowd home happy.
Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, who’s spent her entire career in Arlington, had the second most points in the game, scoring 22, and led the team in assists, making six.
Dallas Wings center Li Yueru, left, and guard Paige Bueckers, center, help guard Aziaha James up after a foul during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 19 at College Park Center. The Wings beat the Mercury 87-82.
“We didn’t play our best game, and sometimes that can lead to a loss,” Ogunbowale said. “We withheld the runs that they did have, and even though it was a close game, I think we responded every time it got to a really tight point.”
The Wings will finish their regular-season slate with two road games, taking on the Mercury again Monday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix and the Seattle Storm on Wednesday at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
The team’s time in Arlington is not over yet, either. If the Wings finish between fifth and eighth in the league, as they most likely will, they will host game two of the first round. The playoffs begin Sept. 27.
@TyRoland06