Arike Ogunbowale poured in 22 points, while Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims each added 20, leading the Dallas Wings to a 107-104 victory over the Indiana Fever in Saturday’s season opener in Indianapolis.
Jessica Shepard contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists for Dallas, which capitalized on 25 fastbreak points to outpace Indiana.
Sims, who played a key role in Indiana’s playoff push last season, scored 12 points after halftime and hit one of two free throws in the final seconds of regulation. Caitlin Clark missed a deep 31-footer, and Indiana fouled Bueckers on the rebound. However, Bueckers missed both free throws with 1.4 seconds left, giving the Fever one last opportunity. On the inbound play, Clark was tightly guarded, and Kelsey Mitchell’s potential game-tying three-pointer rimmed out.
Mitchell led the Fever’s comeback effort with a game-high 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Aliyah Boston added 23 points, while Clark finished with 20 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, shooting 2 of 9 from three-point range in her first WNBA game since July 15, 2025, after recovering from a season-ending groin injury.
Both teams traded blows in a closely contested game, with neither leading by more than nine points. The Wings shot 59.1% from the field and hit 12 of 23 from beyond the arc, while the Fever shot 51.9% overall but only 7 of 24 from three-point range.
Clark briefly left the bench late in the third quarter and returned with a black wrap around her lower back. She reentered the game and hit the final layup of the period to tie the score at 80, marking her 10th point of the quarter and pushing her past 1,000 career points in her 54th game. She was not in the Fever’s starting lineup for the fourth quarter but soon returned from the locker room, presumably after further treatment.
Sims’ fastbreak layup gave Dallas a 97-90 lead with 4:12 remaining, but Mitchell responded with a three-pointer, a free throw, and a three-point play to bring Indiana within 99-97. Bueckers answered with a 20-foot jumper. Boston missed a free throw but stole the rebound from Bueckers and scored to cut the deficit to 101-100. The Fever then forced a five-second violation but failed to score on the possession. Alanna Smith scored for Dallas, and Sims hit a shot over Clark to make it 105-100 with 36.4 seconds left.
After the Fever took an early lead in the second quarter on consecutive three-pointers from Cunningham and Boston, No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd scored her first career points on a corner three, and Ogunbowale’s triple tied the game at 35. Fudd finished her WNBA debut with just three points and one steal in 18 minutes.
Neither team led by more than five points until the final minute of the first half, when Aziaha James knocked down two three-pointers and Ogunbowale added another to build a 60-51 Dallas advantage.
