Wings edge Fever 107-104 as Caitlin Clark’s late 3 rims out
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale had 22 points, Paige Bueckers scored 20, and Caitlin Clark missed a deep 3 with a chance to send the game to overtime as the Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 107-104 to open their WNBA seasons on Saturday. Odyssey Sims also had 20 points for the Wings, and No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd scored three in 18 minutes.
Kelsey Mitchell, who also missed a chance to tie the game at the final buzzer, led Indiana with 30 points. Aliyah Boston had 23 points, and Clark finished with 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five turnovers. Bueckers made 8 of 10 from the field and Sims made 8 of 11.
Jessica Shepard had 13 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in her Wings debut. Aziaha James had a four-point play when she was fouled on a made 3 with 9:09 left, putting the Wings ahead 84-82. They never trailed after the play.
Clark missed her 3-pointer with about seven seconds remaining and Mitchell’s miss at the buzzer followed two missed free throws from Bueckers. Dallas shot 59% from the field and 52% from 3-point range. Indiana shot 52% from the field and made 29% of its 3s.
MERCURY 99, ACES 66 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points and Phoenix walloped Las Vegas , making sure the only celebration for the reigning WNBA champions would be its pregame ring ceremony. The win was a measure of revenge for the Mercury, who were swept by the Aces in last season’s WNBA Finals. This was the Mercury’s largest margin of victory since defeating Indiana 95-60 on Aug.