STWF Sports | MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. | August 9, 2026 — The Dallas Wings stayed within striking distance of the WNBA’s top team for nearly three quarters Sunday afternoon, but a record-setting shooting performance from Kayla McBride helped the Minnesota Lynx pull away for a 103-90 victory at Target Center.
Dallas fell to 19-14 with the loss, while Minnesota improved to a league-best 27-7 and completed a 4-0 sweep of the regular-season series.
The contest featured eight ties and six lead changes, with the teams locked at 66-66 late in the third quarter. From there, Minnesota seized control, outscoring Dallas 37-24 over the final 13-plus minutes.
Kayla McBride’s Impact on the Game
Paige Bueckers once again paced the Wings, finishing with 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a season-high tying three steals. Bueckers shot an efficient 10-of-15 from the field while recording her 18th 20-point performance of the season.
The second-year guard also led Dallas in assists for the 13th time this year and reached eight assists for the sixth time.
While Bueckers provided her usual production, Aziaha James delivered one of her strongest performances of the season. James scored a season-high 19 points in only 15 minutes off the bench, adding six rebounds and two assists while finishing with a team-best plus-eight rating.
Odyssey Sims, making her first start since July 20, contributed 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Alanna Smith added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Dallas shot an impressive 54.4 percent from the field, but Minnesota was even better at 55.6 percent. The defining difference came from long range.
The Lynx connected on 18 three-pointers compared with six for Dallas, tying the franchise record for the most threes made by a Wings opponent.
McBride was at the center of Minnesota’s perimeter barrage.
She erupted for 43 points while knocking down 10 three-pointers, establishing a new WNBA single-game record from beyond the arc. Her 43 points also represented the highest individual scoring performance ever recorded against the Wings franchise.
Dallas started the afternoon sharply despite playing without rookie guard Azzi Fudd, who missed her second consecutive game with right knee soreness.
The Wings took a 23-21 lead after the opening quarter behind six points from Bueckers and five from James. However, Dallas suffered an early setback when Jessica Shepard injured her right ankle midway through the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Dallas extended its advantage to six early in the second before Minnesota responded. McBride caught fire from deep during a 17-8 Lynx run, sinking four three-pointers and helping Minnesota regain control.
The Wings answered with a 10-4 run to move ahead 45-42, but Minnesota scored the final five points of the half to carry a 47-45 lead into the locker room.
Dallas remained highly efficient offensively, shooting 55.3 percent in the first half while outrebounding Minnesota 21-11.
The game continued to swing in the third.
After Minnesota opened an eight-point advantage, Dallas responded with a 17-7 surge, powered by seven points from Sims, to tie the score at 64. Bueckers was perfect from the floor in the quarter, going 4-for-4 for eight points.
But Minnesota finished the period with a 12-4 run and entered the fourth ahead 76-68.
Dallas cut the deficit to five early in the final quarter, but McBride answered with consecutive three-pointers to push Minnesota’s lead into double figures. A later 7-0 Lynx run stretched the margin to 16, effectively ending the Wings’ comeback bid.
Despite the loss, Dallas held significant advantages in several areas. The Wings outscored Minnesota 44-34 in the paint and 34-8 off the bench, while also winning the rebounding battle 34-24.
The Wings will now return to Arlington for a home matchup against the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday, August 12, at 7 p.m. CT at College Park Center. The game will air nationally on USA Network and locally on KFAA.
