WNBA Wednesday: History in Chicago, a Scratch in Indy, and the Sun Finally Rise

Read Time:3 Minute, 17 Second

Last night, WNBA action saw the Dallas Wings soar, the Sun Finally Win a Game, and the Fever ruled out Caitlin Clark due to a back injury. Here is the breakdown of last night’s action across the league.

Dallas Wings 99, Chicago Sky 89

The Jessica Shepard Triple-Double Show

The Dallas Wings kicked off their three-game road trip by putting on an offensive clinic at Wintrust Arena, silencing the Chicago Sky with a decisive 10-point victory. The headline of the night belonged to Wings forward Jessica Shepard, who notched the first triple-double of the WNBA season.

Shepard was utterly efficient, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor to finish with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists. It marks only the third triple-double in the Wings’ franchise history.

Shepard had plenty of elite company on the floor. Paige Bueckers caught fire from the perimeter, tying for a game-high 24 points on smooth efficiency. Arike Ogunbowale tacked on 23 points and dished out her 900th career assist. With that bucket, Ogunbowale became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 4,500 points, 900 assists, and 300 steals, achieving the feat in just 229 games.

“We played with a clear mind and just shared the basketball,” Shepard said post-game. “When everyone is a threat, the floor completely opens up.”

The Sky fought back behind a dominant inside performance from second-year center Kamilla Cardoso, who matched Bueckers with 24 points and added 12 rebounds and 5 assists. However, Chicago’s abysmal 23.8% shooting from beyond the arc ultimately doomed their comeback efforts.

Indiana Fever 90, Portland Fire 73

No Caitlin Clark? No Problem for Aliyah Boston

Panic briefly rippled through Gainbridge Fieldhouse less than two hours before tipoff when the Indiana Fever ruled out superstar guard Caitlin Clark due to a nagging back injury—her first missed game of the season.

But instead of folding, the Fever rallied behind their veteran core to dominate the expansion Portland Fire. Returning to the lineup after missing Sunday’s contest, Aliyah Boston looked completely refreshed, anchoring the paint with 24 points and 8 rebounds.

Indiana’s supporting cast filled the perimeter void perfectly:

Kelsey Mitchell stepped up as the primary scoring option on the outside, dropping 21 points.
Lexie Hull provided the spark of the night off the bench, turning in a flawless shooting performance: 4-of-4 from the field (all 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe for 16 points.
Tyasha Harris started in Clark’s place and orchestrated the offense beautifully, recording 7 assists and zero turnovers.

Portland’s offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm against Indiana’s physical defense. Bridget Carleton led the Fire with 16 points, while Sug Sutton chipped in 14, but the expansion squad couldn’t overcome a massive 21–7 second-quarter explosion by the Fever.

Connecticut Sun 80, Seattle Storm 78

The Sun Secure Elusive First Victory in Seattle Squeaker

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Connecticut Sun are finally in the win column. In a wire-to-wire thriller at Climate Pledge Arena, the Sun withstood a ferocious late-game push from the Seattle Storm to escape with a two-point victory.

Connecticut’s youth movement stepped into the spotlight to close this one out as rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker came up clutch down the stretch, scoring 16 points and mapping out crucial late-game assists. Fellow rookie Nell Angloma flashed elite two-way potential, grinding out 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Kennedy Burke stretched the floor beautifully, knocking down three triples on her way to 15 points.

Seattle stayed alive thanks to a stellar night from guard Natisha Hiedeman, who exploded for 20 points on 18 shot attempts. Forward Mackenzie Holmes battled hard in the paint for 18 points and 6 rebounds, but structural defensive lapses in the final two minutes cost the Storm a chance to force overtime.