Dallas Wings clinched spot in WNBA playoffs | Sports | theshorthorn … – The Shorthorn

Center Teaira McCowan dribbles the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. McCowan scored 12 points.
Forward Satou Sabally winces in pain during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Sabally had four personal fouls.
Forward Satou Sabally jumps to score the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Sabally scored 22 points.
Players react to a call made by the referee during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. The Dallas Wings had two individual technical fouls.
Players fight for the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. The game went into overtime and ended with a Dallas Wings loss, 97-84.
Dallas resident Rudy Nunez, 27, cheers on the Dallas Wings during their game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Nunez said he dressed as a chicken for fun and to hype up the crowd.
Guard Crystal Dangerfield reaches for the ball at tip-off during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Dangerfield scored 11 points.
Guard Arike Ogunbowale, left, passes the ball mid-air to forward Natasha Howard during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Ogunbowale and Howard scored 22 and 15 points, respectively.

Sports Editor
Center Teaira McCowan dribbles the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. McCowan scored 12 points.
Last Thursday, the Dallas Wings flew to Indiana with a mission. The team is having its most successful season since the franchise moved to Texas in 2016, but there was one thing left to do to cap off their historic campaign. 
Heading into the game against the Indiana Fever, the Wings needed a win to clinch a spot in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs, but it wouldn’t be easy. 
All-Star forward Satou Sabally had missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and the team announced forward Natasha Howard and two assistant coaches had to miss the game after being listed in the league’s Health and Safety Protocol — a measure designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. 
Despite the adversity, Dallas came through with a 110-100 victory to seal the team’s fifth playoff berth in eight seasons since the team moved to Arlington. The Wings, now in the No. 4 spot, will learn who they’ll face in the playoffs this weekend, but one thing is certain. 
They’re in.
Forward Satou Sabally jumps to score the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Sabally scored 22 points.
The Wings have built a culture of compassion and selflessness that has made them one of the most feared teams in the WNBA. As of publication, they are the only team in the league to defeat the top-three teams and, with their 19th win last Sunday, the team notched their highest win total since 2008. 
“We just gel well together,” guard Arike Ogunbowale said after the clinching win Friday. “I think we play well together. We have great chemistry on and off the court, and I think off the court really helps because we really enjoy being around each other. We have a coaching staff that supports us and pours everything into us, so it’s just a good group.” 
Players react to a call made by the referee during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. The Dallas Wings had two individual technical fouls.
Leading the charge behind this historic season is first-year head coach Latricia Trammell. After 30 years experience of coaching the game at the WNBA, collegiate and high school levels, Trammell got the offer last November to lead the Wings from Greg Bibb,  team president and CEO. 
Since the day she walked into College Park Center for her introductory press conference, Trammell’s made a difference for this team. She’s not in this for herself, she’s in it for the team. Before every post-game press conference – win or lose – she sits down, looks at the box score and tells the media about something good that happened that day. 
Players fight for the ball during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. The game went into overtime and ended with a Dallas Wings loss, 97-84.
Whether it’s a career-high points night or an observation she saw throughout the game, like a player’s hustle or their demeanor on the bench, Trammell has been her team’s biggest advocate since the day she took the job. 
“They’re fun to be around,” she said about her team in June. “I always say that I drive to my passion every day. I love the people that I work with, and it’s been an absolute joy, and it’s my honor to be coaching this team.” 
With a supportive coach behind them, the team soared to new heights. Ogunbowale, who was named to her third All-Star game this season, continues to be an offensive catalyst for this team like she has been her entire career. Ogunbowale is averaging over 20 points a game for the second time in her career, but she’s also improved as a playmaker. Her assist numbers this year are a career-high. 
Dallas resident Rudy Nunez, 27, cheers on the Dallas Wings during their game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Nunez said he dressed as a chicken for fun and to hype up the crowd.
Sabally has come into her own in her first majority-healthy season in the league. Before this year, her career-high in games played was 17. In last Friday’s game — her 34th appearance this season — Sabally had the best game of her professional career when she poured in 40 points and made seven three-pointers. 
She’s a candidate to win the league’s Most Improved Player award and for good reason. The fourth-year forward has set new career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. Sabally is also shooting the ball better, notching career-bests in field goal percentage and three-point percentage. 
Even with their individual successes, Sabally and Ogunbowale don’t let it go to their heads. They’re always looking to make the right play and rarely hesitate to pass the ball when someone’s open. During Sabally’s career night Friday, she had the ball late in the fourth quarter. As she drove right, the defense surrounded her and she immediately found center Kalani Brown under the basket for an easy layup.
Forward Satou Sabally winces in pain during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Sabally had four personal fouls.
“We have a great team. We have great chemistry,” Sabally said in June. “We want to be champions, and I feel like we’re setting that winning culture up.” 
Brown joined the team in late May after injuries forced the team to look for outside players to fill the gaps. Dallas signed her to a hardship contract and briefly released her in late June before immediately resigning her to a rest-of-season contract. 
In her time with the team, Brown has made a difference, appearing in over 75% of the team’s games and averaging career-highs in points and rebounds. She primarily comes off the bench for the Wings, but Trammell has said she’s talented enough to be a starter in this league.  
Brown had seen her WNBA playing time go down significantly after a promising 2019 rookie campaign. She appeared in just 11 games over the 2020 and 2021 seasons and was out of the league entirely in 2022. Her resurgence gives the Wings the depth and talent necessary to make a deep run in the playoffs. 
“She’s been away, but she stayed ready,” Trammell said after the team signed her in May. “She kept her value up. She did what she was supposed to do when she was here the first time, and that’s really special because she’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Guard Crystal Dangerfield reaches for the ball at tip-off during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Dangerfield scored 11 points.
Brown’s an integral part of one of the deepest frontcourts in the league. Brown, Howard, center Teaira McCowan and forward Awak Kuier make up a rotation that’s been giving teams headaches all season. 
Dallas leads the league in rebounds per game, and their post offense has been a sight to see all year. With Trammell pulling the puppet strings on rotations, Dallas — when healthy — always has at least two of the four on the court at the same time. 
When it’s McCowan and Brown, they run a high-low formation that forces teams to shift their entire defense. When it’s Howard and Kuier, their outside shooting forces the defense to stretch out, leaving the paint open for Ogunbowale and Sabally to drive. When the defense tries to take something away, the team pivots seamlessly. 
Howard’s leadership specifically has been invaluable to this team. Trammell and players have talked all season about building a championship culture and Howard — a three-time WNBA champion — has come into the locker room ready to show them how it’s done. 
Guard Arike Ogunbowale, left, passes the ball mid-air to forward Natasha Howard during a game against the Indiana Fever on Sept. 3 at College Park Center. Ogunbowale and Howard scored 22 and 15 points, respectively.
When defenses start to focus too much on Sabally and Ogunbowale, Howard makes them pay. She has five games of 25+ points this season, including her first triple-double Aug. 4 against the Chicago Sky. 
When opposing defenses try to shut down all three, McCowan steps up. Her rebounding and inside finishing have left the league in awe at times, with defenders sometimes throwing their hands in the air as if to say, “What more can I do?” 
These are just some of the players making an impact on this team. It’d be remiss to not mention guard Crystal Dangerfield, nicknamed Dangerous, and her contributions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Her midrange jumper is one of the most lethal shots in the league. 
Guards Veronica Burton and Odyssey Sims have made contributions off the bench and rookie forward Maddy Siegrist has shown flashes in her playing time. When they’re not on the court, the bench is supporting their teammates and being vocal during huddles. 
“I don’t know any team that can’t rely on their bench during playoffs,” Trammell said after a game in August. “Sometimes they’re the main difference makers in games and to see our bench come on as strong as they are is really exciting.” 
Dallas has struggled with injuries this season as only Ogunbowale and Burton have appeared in every game. But when they’re healthy, they are a team that strikes fear in their opponent, and they now look to expand their game in the playoffs and help lead the franchise to something it hasn’t seen since 2008: a WNBA championship. 
The team has been preparing for the playoffs all season, treating every game like an elimination match. Over the last two weeks, Dallas has eliminated two teams, the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever, from playoff contention by beating them. Trammell said after the Phoenix game she knew it would be tough to defeat a team playing for their lives, but her team pulled through. 
When the team clinched Friday, it was cause for celebration. Sabally was doused in water during an on-court celebration, and Trammell got the same treatment in the locker room after the game. Players and coaches were excited and proud of the work they’d done to clinch a playoff spot, but Ogunbowale kept her focus in the postgame. 
“Clinching feels good,” Ogunbowale said. “It’s not over, but that’s definitely a step.” 
@isaacappelt 
sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
Sports Editor
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.

Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Please consider disabling your ad blocker or whitelisting our site. Our student staff sells
a small number of non-intrusive ads that provide additional funding for The Shorthorn.

source