STWF Sports| SEATTLE| September 23, 2026 — The Dallas Wings closed the regular season in winning fashion Wednesday night, defeating the Seattle Storm 103-91 at Climate Pledge Arena and securing the No. 7 seed in the upcoming WNBA Playoffs.
Dallas finished the season 27-17, setting new franchise marks for total wins and winning percentage at .614. The victory also capped a historic turnaround, as the Wings improved by 17 wins from 2025, setting a WNBA record for the best single-season improvement in league history.
Head coach Jose Fernandez also owns the league mark for the biggest turnaround by a first-year head coach.
The Wings were led by another historic performance from Jessica Shepard, who recorded her sixth triple-double of the season with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Shepard shot 9-for-12 from the field and added another milestone in the opening quarter, becoming the first player in WNBA history to post at least 10 points, five rebounds and six assists in a single quarter.
Paige Bueckers added a team-high 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 9-for-15 from the floor. It marked her 26th game this season with at least 20 points.
Arike Ogunbowale finished with 23 points, six assists and four rebounds for her 18th 20-point game of the year, while Awak Kuier added 14 points and a career-high four made three-pointers. Maddy Siegrist rounded out Dallas’ double-digit scorers with 11 points.
The Wings also recorded a season-high 32 assists, marking the sixth time this year they reached 30 or more. That total leads the WNBA.
Fast Start Sets the Tone
Dallas Wings Make Historic Playoff Push
Dallas opened the game with one of its strongest first quarters of the season.
The Wings jumped out to a 13-5 advantage as Shepard and Bueckers accounted for the team’s first eight points. Dallas eventually stretched the lead to 19 and finished the quarter ahead 29-12.
The Wings shot 61.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from three while holding Seattle to 25 percent overall and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Seattle responded in the second quarter.
The Storm opened the period with a 14-4 run and cut the deficit to seven. Seattle shot 81.3 percent in the quarter, the highest shooting percentage by a Wings opponent in any quarter this season, and took advantage of seven Dallas turnovers.
Still, the Wings carried a 49-42 lead into halftime.
Dallas Regains Control
Dallas reestablished its rhythm after the break.
Ogunbowale opened the third quarter with a three-pointer before Siegrist followed with a jumper, pushing the lead back into double figures. After Seattle trimmed the margin to six, the Wings answered with a 15-6 run and carried a 76-63 advantage into the fourth.
Dallas did not commit a turnover in the third quarter and shot 58.8 percent from the floor.
Seattle made one final push in the fourth, closing within six at 97-91 with 1:14 remaining.
Bueckers answered with a three-pointer under a minute later, and Siegrist added the finishing touch as Dallas closed out the 12-point win.
The Wings shot 56.5 percent overall, 50 percent from three and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line, marking the first time this season Dallas cleared 50 percent from both the field and three while also shooting better than 80 percent at the line.
Seattle was led by Dominique Malonga, who scored a game-high 29 points.
With New York losing to Atlanta earlier in the night, Dallas officially locked up the No. 7 seed.
The Wings will face either the Golden State Valkyries or Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs, which begin Sunday.
Dallas now turns its attention from a record-setting regular season to the postseason, where a historic turnaround will be tested on an even bigger stage.
