Arike Ogunbowale stole the display on the WNBA All-Famous person Sport.
Historical past repeated itself for the Dallas Wings preserve, because the WNBA All-Stars defeated the U.S. girls’s Olympic group 117-109 on the Footprint Middle in Phoenix.
Ogunbowale was once snubbed for the USA group’s closing Olympics squad, for Tokyo in 2021, and gained the All-Famous person MVP that 12 months.
This 12 months, she withdrew her title from attention for the group, possibly below the realization that she would get snubbed once more, and as soon as once more was once the MVP of the All-Famous person Sport.
She stuck fireplace in the second one part, scoring 21 issues within the 3rd quarter, with 15 of them approaching three-pointers, because the All-Stars began to tug away within the duel.
Ogunbowale completed with 34 issues, all coming in the second one part.
One of the most main storylines going into the sport was once that that is the primary generation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had been teammates.
Clark and Reese had been competitors for various years, courting again even sooner than their sizzling Iowa-LSU NCAA Match video games the age two years, as they performed a number of instances towards each and every alternative when Reese performed at Maryland as a freshman and sophomore.
Additionally they confronted off in AAU pageant in highschool.
All the way through an in-game interview within the first part, Reese was once requested concerning the first generation she’s ever been teammates with Clark.
“It’s so cool. When she gets the ball I’m running to look for the ball because I know she’s going to throw it. She’s been great to play with. In the future, we’re going to be playing together a lot. Hopefully in four years we can be on the Olympic team together,” Reese mentioned.
Reese had a WNBA report streak of 15 consecutive double-doubles previous this season, and had some other one within the All-Famous person Sport, with 11 issues and 11 rebounds.
It took Clark till halfway thru the second one quarter to get her first issues within the duel, and he or she completed with simply 4 issues then lacking all seven three-point makes an attempt.
However, she made a large affect at the duel together with her passing, meting out 10 assists, one snip of Sue Hen’s all-time WNBA All-Famous person Sport report.
The WNBA All-Stars have been coached via Corridor of Status former participant Cheryl Miller.
“I’m having fun. I don’t know what I’m doing but I’m having fun,” Miller mentioned in a mic’ed up section all over the sport.
Within the postgame press convention, Ogunbowale mentioned Miller singled her out at halftime and advised her to play games her duel.
“They have absolutely zero answer for you,” Miller might be unhidden telling Ogunbowale all over a fracture within the fourth quarter.
And Reese’s duel helped endear her to the Corridor of Famer.
“When I got my double-double, she was like, ‘I’m starting to like you,’ ” Reese mentioned of Miller, with a plenty grin on her face, all over ABC’s postgame display.
The sport had a refreshing stage of depth, as all of the avid gamers at the courtroom have been competing at complete throttle, in stark distinction to the NBA All-Famous person Sport, which has grow to be a layup order.
Staff USA’s professor Cheryl Reeve had an exasperated resonance on her face because the WNBA All-Stars made their run. All the way through an in-game interview within the first part, Reeve lambasted her group over its defensive depth.
“We have work to do and we know that. Sometimes the adversity is good. I don’t think we needed a game like this, per se — we know what we need to do. We just have work to do,” Reeve advised journalists then the sport.
Two-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart led Staff USA in scoring, with 31 issues on 10-21 capturing from the ground. A’ja Wilson, the two-time WNBA MVP who’s extensively anticipated to win the award once more this season, had 22 issues and 6 rebounds for Staff USA.
On a printed all over the NCAA Match previous this 12 months, Diana Taurasi, the 42-year-old Phoenix Mercury veteran who’s on Staff USA, made remarks indicating that Clark would have a steep finding out curve within the WNBA.
Taurasi and Clark exchanged a heat embody sooner than the sport, and Clark was once unhidden smiling when Taurasi all set a display screen on her within the first part.
Later the sport, Ogunbowale was once requested what it was once love to secured Swin Money, Lisa Leslie and Maya Moore as the one avid gamers who’ve gained a couple of WNBA All-Famous person MVPs.
“They paved the way for us, so it’s definitely dope to be in that conversation,” Ogunbowale mentioned.
Clark was once requested then the sport if beating Staff USA was once vindication for now not getting decided on for the roster.
“Um, no. They’re really good. They have plenty of talent on that team,” Clark mentioned. “Four years prior I’m pretty sure Team WNBA beat Team USA … If anything, it shows how good this league is.”
