PHOENIX – Dallas Wings superstar Arike Ogunbowale scored 34 points and became a two-time WNBA All-Star MVP as she guided Team WNBA to a resounding 117-109 win over Team USA in the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chicago Sky phenom Angel Reese notched a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), Seattle Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell ended with 13 for Team WNBA. While she didn’t get into a scoring rhythm with four points, Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark displayed her elite playmaking prowess with 10 assists.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart led Team USA in points with 31 and 10 assists for a double-double in the defeat. Las Vegas Aces icon A’ja Wilson netted 22 and Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi clinched 14.
Ogunbowale explodes, WNBA dominate second half
Unlike most All-Star Games in the past, there was a bit more effort than usual. Both teams would limit the amount of free room to shoot from the defense established by both teams. On Friday at a pre-event press conference, Team WNBA coach Cheryl Miller talked about it being “very competitive” and that her team “wanted to beat the breaks off our Olympic team” and it is was apparent from the jump.
Trailing early, Ogwumike and Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner dug Team WNBA out of a hole with an 11-5 run to conclude the first quarter, 24-23. Ogwumike led Team WNBA with eight points and Bonner added five as they were able to create open space and get to the basket.
Stepping up with thousands watching the spectacle, Stewart sent Team USA into halftime with a tight 54-52 lead off of 10 points. Neither team could run away from the other with them both fighting tooth and nail to the horn.
While an All-Star Game is normally centered around offense, both teams struggled throughout the first half from three, combining for 7-for-31 (22.6%).
After zero points in the first two quarters, Team WNBA needed a spark from Ogunbowale and she stood up to the task.
Ogunbowale and Team WNBA came out for the third quarter with a vengeance, outscoring the U.S. 35-26. Courtesy of a 20-point explosion by the Wings superstar in the third frame, she kickstarted her dominant MVP case following a slow start.
From a quiet performance to a star-studded showcase of talent, Ogunbowale scoreed another 14 in the fourth quarter as she finished 10-for-20 (50%) from the field and 8-for-13 (61.5%) from beyond the arch for a total of 34 points. That stat marked the most points scored by one player in WNBA All-Star history and she also became the fourth player to record multiple All-Star MVPs.
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE SCORES THE MOST POINTS IN AT&T WNBA ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY WITH 34 ???? pic.twitter.com/y2FopTk24H
— ESPN (@espn) July 21, 2024
Known for being an automatic double-double force this year, Reese carried that trend into Phoenix with 12 points and 11 rebounds. So far this season, The Sky’s rookie is averaging 13.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game in her first WNBA season.
With the offense coming to life in the second half, Team WNBA shot 41-for-81 (50.6%) overall and 12-for-33 (36.4%) from deep while Team USA was 44-for-88 (50%) in total and 12-for-36 (33.3%) from three. The WNBA squad forced the U.S. into 14 turnovers, had 14 steals and won in rebounds, 43-38.
Mercury trio take in special experience despite defeat
For the third time in All-Star Weekend history, Phoenix was the city and Footprint Center was the destination where the WNBA world spent their Saturday night taking in what the event had to offer. The basketball capital of the Valley also hosted in 2000 and in 2014.
Having this extragant event in their home, Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper performed valiantly for Team USA in an Olympic appitizer.
With a soldout crowd in the heart of Phoenix, it was fitting that Taurasi got the fans on their feet as she quickly released a three just 12 seconds in. In her 11th All-Star appearance of her career, the Mercury legend scored 14 points.
Not only was Taurasi representing the hometown Mercury, but Griner came into the game with 96 points in All-Star Game history and finished with 10, becoming just the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 100 or more (106). She joined Maya Moore (131), Tamika Catchings (111) and Lisa Leslie (102) who reached that same plateau.
As for Copper, she came off of the bench and added seven points since she is swarmed by superstars on the Olympic team.
The game was a complete sellout, seeing all 17,035 available seats full for the show. The basketball community of Arizona continues to passionalely show up for the Sun and Mercury, and this attendance continues to fuel that narrative.
Sending the league into nearly a month layoff with the Olympics starting soon, this fun-filled celebration of the women’s game will be remembered for years to come.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
