STWF Sports| ARLINGTON, Texas| Sept. 19, 2026 — The Dallas Wings gave a sold-out College Park Center crowd one more regular-season victory to celebrate Saturday afternoon, holding off the Phoenix Mercury 87-82 to extend their winning streak and continue one of the most dramatic turnarounds in franchise history.
The Impact of the Dallas Wings on the WNBA
Dallas improved to 26-16 and secured the regular-season series against Phoenix, which fell to 15-27. The Wings have now won six consecutive games, matching their longest winning streak of the season.
The victory also added another milestone to head coach Jose Fernandez’s first season in Dallas. After the Wings finished 10-34 in 2025, Fernandez has guided the club to a 16-win improvement in 2026, the largest increase by a first-year head coach in WNBA history.
Paige Bueckers once again powered the Dallas offense, finishing with a game-high 26 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block. She connected on 10 of 19 attempts from the field and went 5-for-9 from three-point range.
Bueckers did much of her damage before halftime, scoring 20 points as Dallas erased an early deficit and took a 56-49 advantage into the break. It marked her fifth 20-point half of the season and her 24th game with at least 20 points.
Her performance also pushed her career total to 1,514 points, the most by a player through her first two WNBA seasons.
Arike Ogunbowale provided another major offensive boost with 22 points and a team-high six assists while committing no turnovers. Awak Kuier scored 11 points, while Jessica Shepard added 10 points and six rebounds.
Dallas also created problems defensively. Aziaha James collected a career-high five steals as the Wings finished with 10 takeaways. Dallas improved to 5-1 this season when recording at least 10 steals.
Phoenix controlled the opening period, taking a 24-19 lead after holding the Wings outside of Bueckers to just 2-for-12 shooting. Dallas responded emphatically in the second.
The Wings erupted for 37 points in the quarter, their second-highest scoring second period in team history. A 15-4 run turned a 37-30 deficit into a 45-41 Dallas advantage before the Wings closed the half with another 9-2 burst.
Phoenix refused to go away.
After Dallas stretched its lead to nine early in the third quarter, the Mercury answered with an 11-2 run to tie the game at 60. The Wings regained control with eight unanswered points and entered the fourth leading 68-64.
The final period became a battle of responses. Dallas pushed its advantage to eight before Phoenix cut the deficit to 78-76 with just over three minutes remaining. With the Mercury threatening, Ogunbowale delivered one of the biggest plays of the afternoon, converting an and-one opportunity to give the Wings an 86-81 cushion with a little more than a minute remaining.
Phoenix never recovered.
Lexi Held led the Mercury with 21 points, while Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Dallas shot 42.3 percent from the floor and committed only nine turnovers, marking the 12th time this season the Wings have finished a game with single-digit giveaways. The Wings also held a 19-9 advantage in fast-break scoring and outscored Phoenix 10-6 on second-chance opportunities.
The celebration in Arlington now gives way to one final regular-season road test. Dallas and Phoenix will meet again Monday, Sept. 21, with tipoff scheduled for 9 p.m. CT. The game will air locally on KFAA-29 and stream on WNBA League Pass.
