For highly touted matchups that were Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings, game days have often welcomed disappointment. The first-ever showdown between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers even demanded a change of venue, only for the Fever sensation to be sidelined. Well over a month since, and the scenes haven’t changed much. This time, the former Hawkeye isn’t the only one sitting out. Count in 2 more Fever guards, and unforeseen, Arike Ogunbowale.

The Dallas Wings have had a season to forget, sitting 12th in the league with an 8–24 record and nothing left to fight for. But when they rolled into Gainbridge Fieldhouse for their fourth match of the season against the Fever, fans were hit with yet another dose of bad news.

Earlier in the day, the Wings downgraded Arike to questionable after she missed the morning shootaround due to right knee soreness, according to reporter Grant Afseth. But just two hours before tip-off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was announced that the 4-time WNBA All-Star would officially be out for the game with a right knee injury.

As much as fans might want to call this Paige Bueckers’ team, the Dallas Wings will remain Arike Ogunbowale’s squad until the day she leaves. The 28-year-old guard has spent her entire W career with the Wings, becoming the undeniable face of the franchise. But this season has been her toughest yet, averaging just 15.5 points and 4.1 assists.

For context, the 4x All-Star was putting up 22.2 points and 5.1 assists per game just last season. The Arike–Paige duo we’ve all been waiting to see since the start of the season hasn’t quite fully clicked. Yes, we have seen flashes of brilliance from them at times, but not consistently. The best example? That win over the New York Liberty, where they combined to score or assist on 72 of the Wings’ 92 points.

This isn’t Arike’s first setback this year either. She had already missed three games earlier in the season with a thumb injury. For someone who’s played 78 of the last 80 games over the past two years, being sidelined four times in one season is the last thing Wings fans want to see.

That said, the Dallas Wings still managed to pull off the win without their superstar, picking up their 9th victory of the season. Given the circumstances, it’s certainly a moment worth looking back on.

Wings win without Arike Ogunbowale

After the 78-91 loss against the Mystics, head coach Chris Koclanes issued a clear demand to the team. “We have to put 40 minutes together…we’ve got to find ways to generate the same type of pace and tempo…we’ve got to put 4 quarters together.” Well, despite being without their starting guard, the Wings managed to bring on the energy…at least for the first 3 quarters!

The Wings, led by Maddy Siegrist’s 22 points, came out all guns blazing as Dallas took an 8-point lead in the first quarter. The Fever responded by taking the second quarter and heading into the dressing room at halftime with scores tied 42-42. Dallas would respond once again by taking a 12-point lead into the 4th quarter. Ideally, a 12-point lead heading into the 4th quarter is a defendable lead, but when it’s Dallas, you can never be too sure.

The Fever pushed hard for a comeback, putting together a 19-3 run to close the game, but it wasn’t enough. The Wings held on for an 81-80 win, thanks to Li Yueru and Paige Bueckers combining for 36 points. Coach Chris Koclanes was clearly pleased with the effort, saying, “It always starts with effort with me and I think we had great effort for 40 minutes. Getting deflections…we were ready to go and we put 40 minutes together. We played hard.”

Tonight’s win does hint that this team is growing and finding ways to protect leads they couldn’t earlier in the season, with the Valkyries game being the prime example. Sure, losing players like NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington has left the Wings shorthanded, and the general feeling is that they’ve come to terms with missing the playoffs. But that doesn’t mean their season is over.

For a team like the Dallas Wings, who will likely land another lottery pick next season, the focus right now is clearly on building for the future. They’ve got a strong young core in Paige, Aziaha, Miller, and JJ alongside veterans like Arike. So, with just a month of regular-season basketball left, coach Koclanes will be aiming to fine-tune this group as much as possible in preparation for what’s ahead next year.

Can you see this group turning into a real contender in the next few years?