Dallas Wings teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers went to war in the Unrivaled semifinals as the Mist reached Wednesday’s final after Ogunbowale scored the game-winning shot
The Mist scored a comeback win over the Breeze in the Unrivaled semifinals(Image: Getty)
Arike Ogunbowale delivered an Unrivaled semifinal blow to Dallas Wings teammate Paige Bueckers as the Mist defeated the Breeze in a close affair.
Ogunbowale, 29, scored the game-winning shot, a three-point jumpshot, to seal a 73-69 victory for the Mist, setting up a Championship meeting with the Phantom on Wednesday. The Wings star, who played a key role for the Wings last season as Bueckers balled her way to WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, scored 21 points on the night, second only to Breanna Stewart, who scored a game-high 23 points.
The crowning moment also fell on Ogunbowale’s 29th birthday, firing the Mist to the needed 73 points to end the game, after conceding an early 16-point deficit in the first quarter. The semifinals were played inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, New York, the home of Final Four superstar Stewart.
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“This is my home,” said Stewart, whose 23 points led the Mist. “Once I knew [the semifinals in Brooklyn] was happening, I was like, ‘My team has to be here. I want to be playing in this game.'”
The Mist’s Wednesday opponents, Phantom, entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed, but their path to the final has been difficult. On Sunday, star center Aliyah Boston — the league’s Defensive Player of the Year — was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs with a lower-body injury.
In response, the team added Aziaha James and Makayla Timpson to the roster for the rest of the postseason.
Phantom have also been without forward Satou Sabally all season due to an injury sustained during the WNBA Finals, and guard Dana Evans has appeared in just one game.
Paige Bueckers #5 of the Breeze celebrates after defeating the Rose during the Playoffs First Round game of the Unrivaled 2026 at Sephora Arena on February 28, 2026, in Medley, Florida.(Image: Getty)
Unrivaled will return to Miami for the final at their 1,000-seater venue, despite the league exploring hosting the finale at the Barclays Center. “There’s a [value] to going and winning a championship in the place that you built,” Stewart said.
“So while it is a smaller arena and venue, that’s where the banner is raised, that’s where the Rose has it, and now we’re going to fight for that championship in the place that we’ve been working all season long.”
Collective Bargaining showdown
While Unrivaled prepares to wind down and preparations for the 2026 WNBA season ramp up, negotiations behind the scenes continue over a new collective bargaining agreement.
The WNBA put forward an offer, according to Kelsey Plum, which has already yielded some significant wins.
Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Mist celebrates hitting a game-winning, three-point basket against the Breeze at Barclays Center on March 02, 2026, in New York City.(Image: Getty)
The two sides were significantly divided on revenue sharing as negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement continue — a process that began nearly 17 months ago when the WNBPA opted out of the previous deal.
The union is seeking a model that would grant players an average of 26% of gross revenue, calculated before expenses. Meanwhile, the WNBA has proposed a system that would allocate 70% of net revenue to players, after expenses are deducted.
“I want to play, and players want to play,” WNBPA first vice president Plum said. “And so obviously we’re going to continue to negotiate and do everything we possibly can to get this done in a timely fashion.
“But obviously, a strike would be the worst thing for both sides, because we are in a revenue [sharing system], so no revenue, no revenue to share.”