The Guru’s WNBA Report: Bueckers and Ogunbowale lead Dallas Upset of New York While Diggins’ Triple Double Highlights Seattle Rout at Connecticut

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Missing All-Star Breanna Stewart, who suffered a lower leg injury in the opening minutes of Saturday’s last-second loss to Los Angeles at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty (17-8) took a 92-82 loss at 12th place Dallas (8-19) Monday night before a crowd of 6,018 at College Park Center on the campus of Texas-Arlington.

The Wings, playing the second of a pair of back-to-back home games, were led by overall first-round draft pick Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, each scoring 20 points while the latter also dealt 14 assists.

Luisa Geiselsoder added 14 points.

“We were just trying to have a fast start, come out strong,” Bueckers said. "Deflect and make everything hard for them on defense and then get out on transition and run.”

Monday’s other game saw Seattle (16-11) win 101-85 at last-place Connecticut (4-21), also playing the second of a pair of back-to-back home games, in front of 7,136 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville to move into a statistical fourth-place tie with idle Atlanta (15-10) six games behind Minnesota and a game behind idle Phoenix (16-9).

The setback for second-place New York came just ahead of the continuing road trip heading Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN) to first-place Minnesota (22-5), now trailing the Lynx by four games, and leading one in front of Phoenix.

“This has been going on a few games, we haven’t started well, so we just had a team meeting,” said New York coach Sandy Brondello. “They’re on a back-to-back so there’s no excuse. We have to dig a little bit deeper.”

Wedesday in Minneapolis will be the first meeting of the top two WNBA teams since last October when New York edged Minnesota at the finish in overtime of a decisive Game 5 of the finals in Brooklyn for the Liberty’s first league title in the franchise’s then 28-year history matching the length of the WNBA’s existence from the inaugural summer of 1997.

The host Lynx are coming off their first home loss in 15 games all season, which occurred Sunday night to Atlanta.

Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, who returned to New York last week from a month’s absence with an ankle injury, scored 18 points with seven boards, while Sabrina Ionescu scored 17, and Isabelle Harrison starting in place of Stewart scored 10 with four rebounds and shooting 3-for-5 from the field.

“It’s never on the coaching staff,” Ionescu said. “We just go out and play. We’re a team full of leaders and we’re going to take accountability the way we come out.

“I think we were kind of passive waiting to see what they were going to do instead of being able to be on our front foot and be in attack mode. It’s a game we can use to learn what happens when we come out passive.”

Dallas won despite being held to one field goal in the fourth quarter when New York in another rally situation outscored the Wings 20-7 after trailing 85-62 heading into the period.

The Liberty had moved within 88-82 late in the game when Bueckers stopped the surge with a pair of foul shots at the 1:06 mark before New York’s Jones missed a shot and then DiJonai Carrington made two from the line to clinch the outcome.

The Associated Press reported that Stewart, who is on the four-game trip, avoided a serious injury, that nothing major turned up in imaging, citing a source requesting anonymity because the team had not released information at the time of the interview.

Bueckers’ former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd, who decided to return one more season with the reigning NCAA champions, was at the game wearing a T-shirt that read “I Heart PB.”

The Liberty continue to await the arrival of Belgian Emma Meesseman, a past WNBA standout who is dealing with visa paperwork.

While New York is in Minneapolis Wednesday, Dallas will host Atlanta.

Diggins and Ogwumike Power Seattle

In the Seattle game, Skylar Diggins had a triple double, scoring 11 points, with 12 boards and 11 assists, just over a week after she achieved the first one in WNBA All-Star history, while Nneka Ogwumike scored 26 against the Sun, who had just gained their fourth victory a day earlier.

“It was great to have that happen tonight,” Diggins said. “Coming off a loss, we wanted to bounce back regardless of what the numbers were. I was just trying to do my part.

“Breaking out of the All-Star break, (coach Noel Quinn) was reiterating rebounding,” Diggins continued. “Obviously, the targets I get to pass to - Nneka being one of them - and people getting loose and trying to penetrate and trying to take advantage of (the Sun) being on a back-to-back and just trying to push our pace.”

Leading 57-46 at the half, the Storm then erupted with 13 more at the outset of the third period and went on finish with 30 heading into the fourth.

Seattle, which lost at Washington Saturday, set a franchise record shooting 86.7 percent in the third period and Ogwumike was 11-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-5 from deep without trying any shot in the final period.

Ogwumike said of Diggins’ triple-double exploits, especially the All-Star game, “It's very rare for anyone to achieve those types of things but when it happens, it makes sense when certain players do it, and Sky is at the top of that list.

“We're kind of an extension of each other on the court. I just try to do my best to join that efficiency. She plays with her fire that ignites how I play,” Ogwumike said said.

“I would not want to experience the triple-double with anyone else.”

Former UConn star Gabby Williams added 16 points for the Storm, second overall pick Dominique Malonga out of France scored 12, and Ezi Magbegor collected 10 points.

The Sun got 17 points from Bria Hartley, while Tina Charles scored 11, and reserves Jacy Sheldon scored 11 and Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 11.

Hartley, Charles and Nelson-Ododa are also former UConn stars.

Seattle, which has played .500 ball over eight games with alternating wins and losses since the beginning of the month, is off until hosting Los Angeles Friday when Connecticut also plays next hosting New York.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday’s three games involve four teams clustered just above and below the eighth-place playoff break point in the standings.

Atlanta, which is in the tight five-team grouping behind Minnesota, hosts expansion Golden State (11-13) at 7:30 p.m.

The Dream on the front end of a back-to-back are at Dallas Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN3.

The visiting Valkyries are ninth, a half-game behind Washington (12-11) and just two behind sixth-place Indiana (14-12) and had been contending to be the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their debut but now must also deal with the recent season-ending injury to All-Star Kayla Thornton.

Los Angeles (11-14) in tenth hosts seventh-place Las Vegas (13-13) at 10 p.m. on NBA TV.

 The Sparks trail the visiting Aces by 1.5 games, are riding a five-game win streak, and are set to greet the return of former Stanford star Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in 2024 who suffered a season-ending ACL a month later costing her a spot on the USA 3x3 Olympic team.

L.A. coach Lynne Roberts announced Brink’s return Monday, saying she is likely to be on a minutes restriction.

Las Vegas is a game behind idle Indiana, which hosts Phoenix Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

Washington hosts 11th place Chicago (7-18) at 7:30. The Mystics are a half-game in front of Golden State in the eighth spot, a half-game behind Las Vegas, and 1.5 games behind Indiana.