Last night was a grueling battle between the first ranked team of the Eastern Conference and the last team on the Western Conference rankings. As the young, rebuilding Dallas Wings charged against the reigning champions, they ensured not to repeat past mistakes. This time, the Wings were better equipped. And as the Wings fearlessly soared with a 63-36 lead after the first half, team leader Arike Ogunbowale had further reason to celebrate.

As one of the deadliest backcourt supports in the league, Ogunbowale’s dominating presence came to the fore as she buckled up with Bueckers against the New York Liberty. The Wings successfully held the opponents down with just 19 points in the first quarter, compared to their own 31. And it was Ogunbowale who rallied the team towards the win.

From dodging elbows in the paint to watching vets like Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally exit the locker room, Arike’s basically been the team’s emotional support superstar. While she struggled initially, she immediately snapped out and proceeded to devour her opponents. Her consistency on both ends provides a stabilizing force in what has so far been a turbulent season. Though wins remain scarce, her veteran voice and scoring versatility give Dallas a chance to rally. But this time, the guard went overboard.

Arike Ogunbowale became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 15 points and 10 assists in one half. In fact, Polymarket Hoops took to X (former Twitter) to mark the iconic achievement against the Liberty. They shared a picture of a beaming Ogunbowale with a caption that mentioned the milestone, “Joins Caitlin Clark as the only players to have 10p/10a in a single half in the last 20 years.”

Arike Ogunbowale’s shot selection can sometimes feel like a game of darts in the dark. But despite the occasional chaos, she’s reliably found the bottom of the net often enough to earn her star status. Now, this milestone is a testament to the guard’s solid gameplay after she was heavily criticized for her previous performance. Sidelined owing to a thumb injury recently, Arike’s return was something to forget. She scored just 2 points in 28 minutes on 0-10 FGA, an embarassing stat line.

Adding 15 points and 10 assists in the first half against the Liberty, Ogunbowale recorded a total of 20 points and 14 assists, with Bueckers also scoring 20. However, the ROTY contender had a different outlook on the first half.

“We were just trying to have a fast start and come out strong, deflect. And make everything hard for them on defence and then get out in transition, run and attack. And be on the aggressive end on offence,” Bueckers said in a post-game interview. “So, we were moving the ball, we were getting good shots within our offence and then we were making catches difficult. We were reading some and we were good in our rotations on defence. So we’re proud of the start.”

While the Wings leader and partner made a historic milestone, Paige Bueckers failed to acknowledge the feat. Instead, she talked about the focal points that helped them fare better in the first half. And though Bueckers continues to shine in the spotlight, from clinching the 2025 Rookie of the Month honors to becoming an All-Star, she refused to highlight Ogunbowale’s noteworthy achievement.

Paige Bueckers exposes locker room reality

Known for her straightforward approach, Paige Bueckers did not hold back after the locker room’s last upset against the Las Vegas Aces. Despite having a solid first half, the Dallas Wings lost to the newest franchise on the block. So, when assessing the team’s overall performance, the rookie did not hold back.

“I think free throws, layups, and then the rebounding battle,” Paige Bueckers said. “They got more offensive rebounds than us. And a lot of them were in pivotal points of the game. So, all things we can control and all things we can fix and improve on. So, that’s really the takeaway.” The guard highlighted the shortcomings of the roster against the veteran-rich team.

While the team has shown drastic offensive improvements, thanks to Paige and Arike’s combined efforts, the roster failed to utilise free throws or improve defensively. After all, the Wings had missed 5 field goal attempts, including missed layups by JJ Quinerly and Hayley Jones.

Despite a crushing 10-point loss against the Golden State Valkyries, Bueckers & Co. re-asserted their dominance in the latest game against the New York Liberty. With an impressive 92-82 win, can the roster continue with the newfound momentum or spiral back to the losses?