Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale had a historic performance on Monday night in a 92-82 upset win over the New York Liberty, the defending WNBA champions.
Ogunbowale scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and recorded a career-high 14 assists, a franchise record. While rookie Paige Bueckers also shined against the Liberty — she shot 7-of-12 for 20 points and added four assists — the phenom said the story of Monday night’s game should be about Ogunbowale.
“It’s a what have you done for me lately world. It’s a what have you done for me lately league,” Bueckers said after the game. “To have an efficient 20 points, to have 14 assists, one turnover and just playing within the offense, playing within the flow … For a performance like this tonight, the story should be about her.”
“For me, it wasn’t really about my performance, but Arike’s … I think everybody should be writing a story about her tonight,” Paige Bueckers said.
Bueckers and Ogunbowale each scored a game-high 20 points. Ogunbowale had a career-high 14 assists, tying the franchise record. pic.twitter.com/ZruZaVGMP5
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) July 29, 2025
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Bueckers noted in her postgame comments, which made Ogunbowale crack a brief smile, that her teammate has turned things around after the All-Star break. The four-time WNBA All-Star entered the break in a shooting slump and had struggled for much of the season, averaging a career-low points per game (15.7) and a career low shooting percentage (34.6).
Over the Wings’ last two games before the break, losses to the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces, Ogunbowale went a combined 3-for-22 from the floor. Bueckers stood by Ogunbowale, who has been the face of the Wings for several years, during the slump.
And now Ogunbowale seems to be out of it. Since returning from the All-Star break, Ogunbowale has averaged 18.5 points and six assists per game. She shot above 50% in the first two games out of the break and above 40% over the Wings’ last two contests.
“Proud that Arike has continued to stick with it and believe and invest in herself and her teammates,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said after Monday’s win. “She’s just been more calm. She’s been letting the game come to her, making simple decisions and … trusting her teammates.”
Related:As Arike Ogunbowale battles shooting slump, Wings maintain strong belief in veteran star
Ogunbowale’s investment has made her backcourt partnership with Bueckers, which fans have dubbed “Parike,” a success. When both stars have played well, the Wings have been highly-competitive like they were on Monday night.
“We made it a point just to communicate with each other more,” Ogunbowale said after the game. “Knowing that we’re kind of two leads on this team and a lot of stuff goes through us and we have to be on the same page, so we’ve been really intentional about it.”
The duo has emphasized ignoring outside noise surrounding the Wings, who sit at 8-19.
“I think the conversation between us has been controlling what we can control,” Bueckers said.
That mindset seems to be paying off.
“They’re being extremely intentional about ‘Hey, we can do this together. Forget what the media is saying. Forget the narratives that are out there. We’re in control of the narrative,’” Koclanes said. “It’s a good, budding, special relationship that they have.”
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