STWF Sports | DALLAS, Texas | August 20, 2026 — The Dallas Wings delivered one of their strongest wins of the season Thursday night, defeating the Indiana Fever 91-85 in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,297 at American Airlines Center.
The Rise of the Dallas Wings in the WNBA
The victory improved Dallas to 21-16 and gave the Wings their first regular-season series win over Indiana since 2023, taking the 2026 matchup 2-1. Dallas also moved within one victory of tying the franchise record for wins in a season.
Indiana fell to 24-13 and saw its five-game winning streak come to an end.
The night belonged to Arike Ogunbowale, who scored a season-high 32 points while adding three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Ogunbowale erupted for 25 points after halftime and reached another major career milestone, surpassing 5,000 WNBA points.
She became the third-fastest player in league history to reach 5,000 points and 1,000 assists, accomplishing the feat in 261 games.
While Ogunbowale took over late, Jessica Shepard controlled the first half.
Shepard scored a career-high 26 points with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. She poured in 22 points before halftime, shooting 10-of-11 from the field and tying her previous career scoring high in only 18 minutes.
Her first-half efficiency also made franchise history. Shepard became the first Wings player to make at least 10 field goals while shooting 90 percent or better in a half.
Dallas also received a record-setting defensive performance from Awak Kuier.
Kuier finished with a career-high seven blocks, breaking the Wings franchise record for blocks in a game. She added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
Her defensive presence was especially important before halftime, when she recorded five blocks, including four in the second quarter alone.
The Wings trailed 22-18 after the opening period before finding their rhythm in the second.
Shepard continued attacking inside, while Kuier’s three-pointer helped Dallas take its first lead. The teams went into halftime tied at 42 after Kelsey Mitchell buried a late three for Indiana.
That set the stage for Ogunbowale.
The veteran guard made her first six shots after halftime and scored 15 points in the third quarter alone. Dallas outscored Indiana 24-19 in the period and carried a 66-61 advantage into the fourth.
The Wings then opened the final quarter with a 10-6 push to extend the lead to nine.
Indiana continued to battle behind Mitchell, who finished with 37 points and set a WNBA record with her 21st consecutive 20-point game, but Dallas never allowed the Fever to get closer than five in the closing stretch.
Paige Bueckers added 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists, providing steady playmaking throughout the night.
Dallas also controlled one of the most important areas of the matchup — the paint.
After being outscored 112-80 inside across the first two meetings, the Wings flipped the matchup and held a 46-28 advantage in points in the paint Thursday. Dallas also won the second-chance scoring battle 16-10 and held a 10-6 edge in fast-break points.
The Wings shot 47.2 percent from the field, compared with Indiana’s 40.9 percent, while finishing with 32 rebounds and eight blocks.
The win gave Dallas an impressive opening statement to its home stretch and continued a season that is now approaching franchise-record territory.
Up next, the Wings return to College Park Center on Sunday, Aug. 23, to host the Seattle Storm at 3 p.m. CT. The game will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on KFAA.
