The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Dallas Slide Continues Subdued by ‘Vegas 17-2 Finish; Atlanta Tops Chicago; WBHOF Class Heads to Knoxville Induction on Pat Summitt Birthday

 

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Poised to break out of a six-game slide and gain a key win over the injury-riddled Las Vegas Aces Friday night on the road after a 30-15 third quarter produced a 70-64 lead that grew to double digits for Dallas (1-11), the Wings stopped flying, imploding on a 2-17 finish enabling the home team to emerge victorious 88-84 before an energized crowd of 10,428 in Michelob ULTRA Arena.

In the only other game, part of a doubleheader on the ION network on Friday night, Atlanta (7-3) continuing the improvement under first-year coach Karl Smesko thrilled a home crowd of 3,296 at the Gateway Center in College Park in suburban Georgia with an 88-70 dismantling of the Chicago Sky (2-7).

The Dream are now 2-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup standings in week three of the in-season tournament to be decided July 1 between the top teams of the two conferences, which saw Chicago fall to 0-3.

In the late game Las Vegas evened its Cup record at 2-2 while Dallas fell to 0-5.

The Aces were without their defending MVP A’ja Wilson, who had suffered a hit in the head from an accidental collision in the prior game and was in the concussion protocol.

Former Notre Dame star Jackie Young fueled the surge going 8-8 from the line for the Aces on the way to score 28 points, while newcomer Jewell Loyd, formerly with Seattle, added 21 points and the momentum altering three-pointer that gave Las Vegas the lead with 28.3 seconds left in regulation.

On Dallas’ side, Arike Ogunbowale was in the form of her high scoring reputation last season with 26 points, while overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers out of UConn had 16 points, newcomer DiJonai Carrington, previously with Connecticut, contributed 15, and Luisa Geielsoder scored 13.

The Wings were soaring in their big third quarter coming out of the break trailing by nine but with an 18-0 run and in the final period building an 82-71 lead with 3:55 left in regulation after Geiselsoder scored.

But that was all Dallas wrote, never scoring again until Buecker’s two foul shots with 8.1 seconds left made it a two-point game 86-84. But Young clinched it with a pair of free throws.

The Aces connected 10 straight times from the line with four turnovers and four boards on the offensive glass and were 26-28 from the line overall and were dominated on the foul line shooting 26-28 while only connecting 10-11 on attempted free throws.

Las Vegas next plays Sunday hosting Phoenix at 6 p.m. on the WNBA’s streaming League Pass.

Dallas on Tuesday hosts expansion Golden State at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile Atlanta rode Rhyne Howard’s career night with 36 points, fueled by nine three-pointers, while Britney Griner, who signed with the Dream as a free agent following a long career in Phoenix, passed all-time great Lisa Leslie with 823 blocks, second to the WNBA leader the late Margo Dydek with 877.

Howard’s threes broke the Atlanta of eight for a night held by former UConn standout Renee Montgomery.

Chicago stayed within single digits most of the night until Howard’s three-ball made it 66-56 with 8:18 left in the game.

“We have to stop the bleeding when it’s happening,” said first-year coach Tyler Marsh, a former assistant to Becky Hammon in Las Vegas. “I used a lot of timeouts early so that affected us later in the game. We have to continue to put together a 40-minute game.”

Allisha Gray added to the Atlanta attack with 15 points, seven boards, and five assists, while free agent signee Brionna Jones, formerly with the Sun, scored 13, and Jordin Canada had 12 points and eight assists.

Second-year pro Kamilla Cardoso had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead Chicago, which got 12 points and nine rebounds from second-year pro Angel Reese, while Ariel Atkins scored 12, also.

Next up for the Sky is a trip to Connecticut Sunday at noon on CBS, while the Dream are in Washington playing on CBSSN the same day at 2 p.m.

Saturday’s WNBA slate has just three games, but it’s a loaded slate drawing interest beginning at 1 p.m. in Minnesota on CBS with the Lynx in the Target Center coming off their first loss of the season in game ten moving on to host Los Angeles.

The defending champion New York Liberty, now the last unbeaten team in the league at 9-0, heads to Indiana and Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+ where the Fever expect the return of both Sophie Cunningham, who’s been limited to just four games with a knee injury, and reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, who’s been sidelined for five straight games with a quad strain since the Fever lost by two in Indy by two points late last month.

Before being taken out of action, Clark, the overall No. 1 draft pick last season, had played her entire but short pro career besides her entire collegiate career at Iowa over four seasons.

Then third game of the day will air at 8:30 p.m. when the Seattle Storm, coming off its home upset of Minnesota that ended the Lynx unbeaten start, visits in San Francisco the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who are now 4-5.

WBHOF Induction Weekend Continues

ESPN+ will also at 6 p.m. air the 26th season induction of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame here in Knoxville featuring the welcoming of four WNBA retired superstars in Sue Bird, Alana Beard, Sylvia Fowles, and Cappie Pondexter, the latter represented by her mom; Danielle Donohew, top executive of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)’ NAIA coach Mark Campbell, and Lucille Kyvallos, who coached at West Chester in suburban Philadelphia and Queens College in New York City.

Kyvallos will be introduced by Immaculata coach Cathy Rush, the two teams forming the first big rivalry of the modern era when the AIAW was the governing body.

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA, is here as a past inducted, as well as Ackerman’s WNBA successor Donna Orender, who played for those Queens squads under Kyvallos.

A slew of Kyvallos’ former players are here to support their coach and gathered at one of the many receptions in Knoxville Friday night after the afternoon Ring and Basketball presentations and short press conference.

Cathy Andruzzi, the executive director of the local committee when Philadelphia hosted the 2000 NCAA Final Four, is also here, as is former Immaculata great Marianne Stanley, who coached three national champions at Old Dominion and was an obstacle to Queens’ title aspirations as a feisty point guard for Rush.

June 14th, Flag Day, is also the birthday of the late legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

Holly Warlick, a past inductee who played for Summitt on the early Lady Vol contingents and succeeded her as Tennessee’s coach, was asked if she would have made money back in her day if the NIL legislation existed, quipped. “I would have made a lot of money, a lot of money.

“But I wouldn’t have made more than Pat, she would have made sure of that.”

This weekend, the WBHOF unveiled a new exhibit honoring Summitt.