THE DALLAS WINGS & PHOENIX MERCURY PUT ON A BANGER
- Kelvin Kately, Senior Editor
Over the weekend, I was given the privilege to cover The Dallas Wings VS The Phoenix Mercury game in Arlington, TX, and I have to admit that I was thoroughly impresse. Before I get into the "met and potatoes" of it all, I have to give a couple thoughts on what this expereience was like.
To start, the atmosphere was just simply incredible to be around! I've gone to many NBA games as a fan. Some games were fun and some....not so much. As a member of the media, I couldn't help but notice how fun this was from the pregame to the postgame. Even during the timeouts, there was a ton of fun being had by all. Not to mention, the fundamentals of the game pulled me in. If you are a fan of fundamentally sound games played at extremely high level, do yourself the favor and watch the WNBA, if you're not already. It was so refreshinng to watch both teams perform on the court.
Phoenix is a PHYSICAL team with good defense. However, Arike Ogunbowale is a very tough assignment. She is second, currently, in league scoring. She is hard to contain and when she gets going, she is very tough to stop. She got an early steal an assit but was mostly quiet in the first half.
The real battle early on was the one between Britney Griner and Teaira McCowan as both teams tried to dominate the paint. I am a sucker for post playh and both of these women put on clinics in the paint. Griner started very strong offensively and defensively while McCowan matched her energy. We end the half 35-32 and Arike ended the ahlf with a total of just two points.
The Wings started the third quarter with a 6-0 run after making adjustments at the half. Britney Griner started the quarter the same way she finished the first half. She slowly started dominating this game in the paint. However, Arike started heating up, proving why she is a tough matchup. In the third quarter alone, she put up 12 points to keep her team consistently in position to take the lead. Phonix wouldn't stay down though, as Diana Taurasi and Griner contued to be excellent from the perimeter and paint.
We start the 4th with Phoenix picking up the pressure defensively to kick off a 6-0 run of their own. Arike had her moments in the second half and kept this a very close game. Her second half scoring was critical. Late in teh quarter, the Wings picked up their defesnive pressure to start their own run!! Arike hit a massive three to tie and then went on to get a steal and assist to pu the Wings ahead 78-76!!
In the next possession, Griner collected a rebound and scored on an and one opportunity, but MISSES the Free Throw!! The Wings treid to capitalize, but to no avail. We are going to OT!!
During the extra play time, Diana Taurasi led the charge for the Mercury offensively. Watching her play is such a treat!! The way she can still manipulate defenses is so awesome. During the final seconds of OT, Griner puts the Mercury up, but McCowan ties the game!! Wings get the steal on the next possession but can't convert and we go to DOUBLE OT!!
It looked like The Wings may have gassed out in Double OT though, as Phoenix was able to mov ethe ball aroun much easier. However, we do get a three pointer from Sevgi Uzun to keep it a winnable game!
McCown gets called for a foul and a technical as well, marking the end of her day. A little controversy there, as it did not appear to be a foul. Plus, the refs did do a wonderful job before this, allowing the women to play and be physical. Afterwards, Taurasi hit a basket to put the game out of reach for The Wings. The final score was 97-90 in a very thrilling contest. Up next, Dallas the 4th ranked Seattle Storm at home on JUne 13th.
As I stated earlier, this was a fun game to attend. Even as a member of the media. I highly suggest that if you have a WNBA team near you, take some out to attend a game or two. I'm definitely going to attend more games, as I thorougly enjoyed myself. I hope this article causes you to check out your local WNBA team as well!
