Team WNBA takes down Team USA
Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings pumped in a game-high 26 points Wednesday as Team WNBA won its All-Star Game in Las Vegas, 93-85 over Team USA.
Ogunbowale scored 14 second-half points, including a rare four-point play with 5:37 left that extended the WNBA stars’ lead to 79-73. She added her fifth 3-pointer with 3:42 remaining for an 86-78 advantage and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Jonquel Jones (Connecticut) contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds to the winning cause, while Courtney Williams (Atlanta) came off the bench to net 15 points.
Williams’ runner off the glass in the last minute sealed the outcome.
Brittney Griner scored 17 points to lead Team USA, going 8 of 10 from the field.
Breanna Stewart added 15, while Sylvia Fowles came off the bench to chip in 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The game’s outcome came down to some minor edges for the WNBA stars.
They were 11 of 30 on 3-pointers as compared with Team USA’s 7 of 20 and earned a 41-37 advantage on the boards.
They also committed just seven turnovers while forcing 15, leading to 10 more field goal attempts.
Both teams engaged in the expected shootout in the first quarter. Team USA established a 15-7 lead on A’ja Wilson’s jumper about 3½ minutes into the game, but the WNBA squad rallied and tied the game four times before Skylar Diggins-Smith’s 3-pointer made it 28-25 USA after one.
Then the game took on a defensive bent. The WNBA stars clamped down, allowing only 15 points in the second quarter, and took a 44-43 edge into halftime when Williams canned a long jumper with 19.5 seconds left.
After Chicago’s Allie Quigley won her third 3-point shooting contest title during halftime, the teams battled through a tight third quarter. Chelsea Gray’s finger roll just before time expired pulled Team USA into a 66-66 tie.