Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists as the Dallas Wings erased a 10-point deficit to beat the Chicago Sky 96-91, extending their win streak to five.
DALLAS — Paige Bueckers scored 22 points, with 11 assists and six rebounds, helping the Dallas Wings erase a 10-point second-half deficit to beat the Chicago Sky 96-91 on Sunday. The Wings' winning streak has now reached five games, and they achieved their first season-series sweep of the Sky since 2014.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez praised the team's resilience during Chicago's third-quarter surge.
"I think it's our grit and our resilience. We don't do it on purpose, but it's something about the way we play that allows us to do some things really well in the fourth quarter," Fernandez said. "In the fourth quarter, we buckled down, got stops, secured rebounds, and made plays down the stretch."
Chicago outscored Dallas 33-20 in the third quarter, its highest-scoring quarter of the season against any opponent, to take a 73-66 lead into the fourth. But the Wings answered with a 30-18 final period, trading the lead multiple times down the stretch before Arike Ogunbowale sealed it with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. It was Dallas' third double-digit comeback against Chicago this season, tied for the most against a single opponent in a season in WNBA history, and the eighth time this year the Wings have trailed in the fourth quarter and won, tied with the Washington Mystics for the most such comebacks in the league.
Bueckers scored eight of her 22 points in the final 10 minutes and now leads the WNBA in fourth-quarter scoring this season with 138 points. It was her 14th 20-point game of the year, second-most in the league. She said the fourth-quarter urgency has become a habit the Wings need to find earlier.
"I think it's kind of become a habit for us to do that in the fourth, and that's something we need to change by playing that way from the opening tip," Bueckers said. "We're on the same page offensively and defensively about what we want to execute, and we really hone in on the details."
Jessica Shepard added her league-leading 15th double-double of the season with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, her seventh game this year with at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, a combination no other player in the league has reached more than twice. Li Yueru came off the bench for a season-high 10 points and 10 rebounds, her first double-double since July 2025 and just the fifth of her WNBA career. It marked only the third time in franchise history, and the first since 2018, that three or more Wings players recorded a double-double in the same game.
Fernandez said Li's size was critical in slowing down Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso.
"I think her size. Li helps us a lot against interior players when teams run isolations and duck-ins," Fernandez said. "She held her ground, and we needed her to do that. Credit to her for staying ready and staying the course."
Li said her teammates' confidence in her made the difference.
"Even when I make mistakes, my teammates always tell me, 'You're good. Don't worry about it. Just focus on this moment,'" Li said. "I feel really happy with this team because I think we have the best locker room."
Ogunbowale scored 17 points, including six of Dallas' final eight, and Azzi Fudd added 16 for her seventh game with at least three 3-pointers, tying for most among WNBA rookies.
Sydney Taylor led Chicago (7-16) with 20 points in her fifth 20-point game of the season, second among rookies. Azurá Stevens had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. Cardoso added 12 points and 13 rebounds for her 28th double-double, tying Candace Dupree for fourth in franchise history. The five double-doubles tied the most in a regulation game in WNBA history. Sky coach Tyler Marsh said late-game breakdowns on a long road trip were the difference.
"We weren't able to execute when we needed to and weren't able to get stops when we needed to," Marsh said. "I thought second-chance opportunities hurt us late. We would get a stop but couldn't finish the possession. It's disappointing. You're proud of the fight, but at this point in the season, we've got a locker room and coaching staff that's tired of being on this end of these games."
Natasha Cloud scored 15 points and said the team remains close in every game despite recent losses.
"We're in all of these games. Every single one of them. It's just in those last three or four minutes we're not executing on both ends of the floor," Cloud said. "If we can all just be 1% better in those final four minutes, some of these games are going to turn in our favor."
Dallas hosts the New York Liberty on Thursday. Chicago returns home to host the Seattle Storm on Wednesday in the teams' first meeting this season.
WNBA Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things WNBA. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
