The Dallas Wings cruised past the Seattle Storm by 23 points on Monday night, a margin that on the surface sounds like a dominant, convincing performance. The reality, however, is that this was a win built almost entirely on the defensive end of the floor. And Wings head coach Jose Fernandez, while pleased with the result, was clear-eyed about the offensive deficiencies that still need to be addressed.

Speaking at the postgame press conference, a video of which was shared on the Dallas Hoops Journal YouTube channel, Fernandez laid out the offensive picture with characteristic directness.

“We took 81 shots, 29 for 81, 36%,” he said. “And we got 18 offensive rebounds because when you miss as many shots, you get more rebounding opportunities. We got to be better. Got to be better on that,” he added.

Jose Fernandez was actually responding to a question about what he liked from his team’s defensive effort. And he certainly acknowledged the brilliance in that aspect. “We made them have to take contested shots. They only had one offensive rebound at halftime, too,” he said. And even beyond that, they harassed Seattle all night, forcing 21 turnovers, 18 of which they converted into fast-break points. And while their own shooting was poor, they limited the Storm to even worse, holding them to just 33.3% shooting from the field and 11.1% from three-point range.

But even against that backdrop, Fernandez knows that relying on the defense to carry the team on a nightly basis has its limits. The Dallas Wings hit just 3 of their 18 three-point attempts alongside that 36% overall shooting clip. That’s an offensive output that teams with better shooting or more consistent offensive execution would punish severely. So even though you can win games with elite defense and poor offense, that formula is considerably more fragile as the quality of opposition increases. The offense has to become a more reliable partner to what the defense is doing.

That said, the Wings will take the win regardless. Because for Jose Fernandez, sometimes defense is what saves the day. As he said, “I thought we got some really good shots, but the ball didn’t go to the basket. So when that happens, you got to hang your head on being great defensively. You got to rebound. And you got to take care of the ball.” And that exactly was what they did well.

Dallas Wings Forward Maddy Siegrist Shrugs Off Wings’ Shooting Woes as an Off Night

While head coach Jose Fernandez viewed the Dallas Wings’ shooting struggles as a concern that still requires improvement, Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist saw things a little differently. For her, the performance against the Seattle Storm was nothing more than a cold shooting night. The way she sees it, the Wings were simply a little unlucky offensively against Seattle.

Speaking in the postgame press conference, Siegrist responded to a reporter who suggested that the team wasn’t really playing its characteristic attacking style against the Storm. And in her response, she was quick to push back on that idea. As she said, “We didn’t really approach it any differently than any other game.” For her, it was simply one of those nights on the offensive end of the floor. “Sometimes, you shoot… Some days you just don’t shoot the ball well. And I think today was one of those days,” she said.

Looking at the Dallas Wings’ record this season, it actually seems justifiable to ask that question. This was their first win of the campaign while scoring fewer than 90 points. So, as Siegrist pointed out, they’ve actually “been really doing extremely well offensively” for much of the season.

But while she also acknowledged that the game against Seattle was a struggle overall, being able to defend and hold the Storm to just 56 points was still something she believed the team should be proud of. As she said, “Being able to defend and hold the team in this league to 56 points, I think, you know, was something we should hold our hats on.”

The Dallas Wings face the Los Angeles Sparks in their next game. If they come away with another victory, they will extend their current run to four straight wins