The first time the final buzzer sounded on the Dallas Wings’ 80-78 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night, it was the result of a clock operator’s error. As the final 0.4 seconds were replayed, everyone inside College Park Center held their breath. Only after it became clear that Jackie Young’s potential game-tying shot had come too late could they exhale and begin celebrating the Wings’ biggest win of the season.
“I told the team afterwards I’m so proud of them,” Wings coach Latricia Trammell said with tears still drying in her eyes. “They just deserve it. Every team says that, but man, the adversity that sometimes these players go through that people don’t even know about. To have them still fight and come together, I’m just so happy for them. These tears are for them. These players are special.”
This has been an up-and-down season for the Wings, but they’re trending up lately and just became the second team to defeat the reigning champions this season. Just days after losing to the Aces in Las Vegas, the Wings stopped their historic nine-game winning streak — and did so in dramatic fashion.
In the middle of the third quarter, the Aces used a 17-6 surge to open up a double-digit lead in what, to that point, had been an even, back-and-forth contest. So often this season, the Aces have used runs like that to break their opponents’ spirit and pull away for comfortable wins. The Wings, though, were not fazed. By the middle of the fourth quarter, they had tied things up, which set up a fascinating finish.
It was still all square with 14 seconds to play when the Wings called timeout to set up a final play. While Satou Sabally’s mid-range jumper didn’t go down, she took it early enough to give the Wings a chance on the offensive glass, and after three different put-back attempts, Natasha Howard was fouled with 0.4 seconds to go. The veteran calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws, which proved to be the difference.
“I felt good,” Howard said. “I’ve been in situations like that before. so it wasn’t nothing unique. Just ice in my veins, you feel me?”
Howard, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, played hero, but it was the defense that stood out down the stretch and won the game for the Wings. Improving on that side of the ball was the main remit for Trammell heading into the season, and the fourth quarter was a glimpse of what’s possible for them.
They held a historically dominant Aces offense to 12 points on 5-of-15 from the field. More importantly, their size and length, as well as some zone defense, kept the Aces away from the basket. Only three of Vegas’ fourth-quarter attempts came in the paint, and they didn’t shoot any free throws in the frame.
“We made it a lot harder [on them],” said Arike Ogunbowale, who is not known for her defense but came up with five steals in the game, including three in the fourth. “We got steals, touches and deflections, just putting more pressure on them. Our bigs played big. Their bigs felt the presence of our bigs for sure. Every rebound was hard for them, every shot was hard for them.”
With the big result on Friday, the Wings have now won three of their last four games to improve to 9-9 on the season, moving them into sixth place in the crowded middle of the pack. There are still plenty of improvements for them to make, but a win over the clear title favorites was a major confidence boost as they try to take the next step as a team and organization.
“I told the girls in the locker room, ‘We can beat anybody in this league,'” Howard said. “Nobody can stop us when we play like this.”