Arike Ogunbowale reveals why Wings was especially motivated vs. Fever

With the Dallas Wings’ huge win over the Indiana Fever on Thursday night, 91-85, it was a full-team effort, led by a key performance from Arike Ogunbowale. While the Wings are dealing with Azzi Fudd’s brutal end to her rookie season with a knee injury, the team is looking to overcome the doubts, as Ogunbowale reveals the team was more motivated than ever on Thursday.

As Dallas is on their way to making an appearance in the postseason, the Minnesota Lynx and the Golden State Valkyries clinched a playoff spot in wins over the Wings this season. For Ogunbowale, Dallas took that personally, according to The Athletic.

“It was definitely big,” Ogunbowale said. “Another team just clinched on us, and we were like, we didn’t want to be the team teams are clinching on. We kind of wanted to take it personal.”

In the win over Indiana, Ogunbowale scored a team-high 32 points on 12 of 22 shooting from the field and two of six from three-point range.

The Wings are dealing with a key loss in Azzi Fudd

This was a much-needed win for the Wings, as the team has lost eight of its last 12 games, including the victory against the Fever. However, the team has been dealing with the loss of Fudd, who is out for the rest of the season, as she’ll undergo knee surgery.

The No. 1 overall pick will be sorely missed this season, as Dallas will be without her three-point shooting and spacing, averaging 13.1 points per game and 1.7 steals per game on shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from deep.

“We need someone that can space the floor, defend, and make shots. It’s tough to replace what she did, especially as a rookie,” Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said, via The Athletic.

It remains to be seen how Fudd’s recovery goes, but Dallas will be focused on achieving wonders this season, as the team currently has a 21-16 record, which puts them fourth in the Western Conference and eighth in the WNBA. At any rate, the next matchup for the Wings is against the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

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