The Dallas Wings are moving on to the WNBA Semifinals after beating the Atlanta Dream 101-74 in Arlington on Tuesday night.
The win gives the Wings a two-game sweep, the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2009 and the team’s first since moving to the metroplex and becoming the Wings in 2016.
“Just ecstatic for this team,” head coach Latricia Trammell told the media postgame. “We’ve been in the locker room celebrating with one another, and what a great balanced game from everyone. It was just a special night for this organization, for everyone in the office doing their due diligence, the people putting fans in the stands, social media, I could go on and on. Like I said, I’m extremely ecstatic for these young ladies.”
The Wings trailed by a point after the first quarter but outscored Atlanta by 19 in the second to take control of the game, leading by 18 at the half. Arike Ogunbowale displayed terrific defense and used it to help the offense find its groove.
“That’s Arike,” Trammell said. “It’s what she does. She’s a competitor, but she’s one that’s been in those big moments, and she strives for it. I’ve said this before, but she’s an underrated defender. She’s a great defender. … I’m extremely happy for her because of her leadership, her voice, [all of which] has been extremely beneficial.”
Atlanta never recovered, and Dallas had a record seven players reach double digits in points as the Wings rolled to a playoff win by the largest margin in franchise history.
Dallas faces the No.1 seed and defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in the semifinals. The Aces finished the season with a 34-6 record and won three of their four regular-season matchups against the Wings. The best-of-five series begins at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday in Las Vegas.
The first to win three games will face the New York Liberty, the Minnesota Lynx, or the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals.
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