Postgame Notes: Dallas Stop Fever, 89-83


INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In her return home, All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Wings to an 89-83 victory over the Indiana Fever with a career-high 35 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.

Diggins-Smith got off to a hot start in her home state, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. But the Wings trailed the Fever after the opening period, 23-22, behind rookie Kelsey Mitchell’s 11 first-quarter points.

The Fever pulled ahead by as many as 13 in the second quarter, but back-to-back late second-quarter buckets from Allisha Gray and Liz Cambage pulled the Wings within four, 48-44, at the break. Diggins-Smith led the way for the Wings in the opening half with 15 points and five rebounds. Cambage added 13 points, while Gray scored 11 points in the first half. The trio combined for 39 of the Wings 44 first-half points.

The Wings came out of the locker room on fire to take a 56-53 lead before the Fever battled back to regain the lead. The two teams traded baskets before a 4-0 run by the Fever gave them a 65-62 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Entering the fourth quarter down three, the Wings fought their way back into the game and retook the lead late in the fourth quarter. Diggins-Smith drilled clutch free throws down the stretch to help the Wings pull away to an 89-83 victory.

Diggins-Smith recorded a career-high 35 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while also adding six assists. It was her second straight game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Her 14 made free throws and 16 free throw attempts are both career-highs for the three-time All-Star. Cambage scored 23 points and pulled down seven boards. Gray recorded 15 points on 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. The star-studded trio combined to score 73 of the Wings 89 points.

The Fever were led by rookie Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 26 points on 8-for-22 from the field, including 4-for-10 from long range.

The Wings return home for two games, a rematch against the Phoenix Mercury on June 12 and a June 15 matchup against the Las Vegas Aces. Tickets are available for purchase at dallaswings.com.

Dallas Wings Team Notes

  • The Wings recorded their second win on the road for the season defeating the Fever.
  • Overall for the season, the Wings are 4-3 and 2-3 on the road.
  • The Wings comeback in the second half marked as the second consecutive game the team has come back and won. The team cut down the Fever’s 13-point lead which occurred earlier in the first half.
  • The Wings ended the night with 34 boards for the night. It marks as the sixth consecutive the team has grabbed 30 or more boards in a game.
  • Tonight’s game was tied eight times. It is the most ties in a game for the Wings this season.
  • The Wings scored 42 points inside the paint in tonight’s game. It is the third time the team has scored 40 or more under the basket.

 

Dallas Wings Player Notes

  • Skylar Diggins-Smith recorded her first double-double of the season with 35 points and 12 boards for the night. Tonight’s contest marks as the fifth time she has led the team in points and first leading the way in total boards.
  • Skylar’s 35 points is a new career high. Her previous high of 34 points came against San Antonio on July 22, 2014.
  • Diggins-Smith’s 12 total boards is a new career high for the guard. Before tonight, she had a career high of eight which occurred on June 9, 2017.
  • Liz Cambage also hit double figures for the night with 23 points. She also recorded five total boards
  • Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage combined for a total of 58 points for the night. The combined points marks as the second straight game the duo as tallied 50+ points in a game.
  • Allisha Gray ended the night with 15 points, shooting perfect behind the free throw line for the second time this season.
  • Kaela Davis made her first WNBA career start.