Arlington, TX – In a Sunday afternoon home opener, the Dallas Wings did not disappoint an audience of lively fans. In fact, the Wings gave the home crowd every reason to anticipate a season full of great performances from a dynamic Dallas duo.
Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage combined for 46 points, as the Wings defeated the Atlanta Dream 101 – 78.
After a rather competitive first quarter, the Wings began to apply serious pressure to the Atlanta Dream’s frontcourt. Center Liz Cambage scored 17 points in the first half alone and did an exceptional job securing several tough rebounds. While she only scored four points in the second half, the Wings enjoyed a comfortable lead of more than 20 points.
Wings’ fans appeared to be quite impressed by the newly acquired Cambage. Her footwork, her wingspan and her overall hustle solicited several jolts of energy from the crowd.
Forwards Kayla Thornton and Karima Christmas-Kelly provided great energy on defense for the Wings, in addition to their scoring of 13 and 15 points respectively. Christmas-Kelly led the team in rebounding, with a total of 10 boards. Her aggressive drives to the basket got her to the free-throw line more than any other player on the court. She made 11-14 from the foul line.
Kaela Davis’ contributions off the bench proved invaluable, as her tenacious defense frustrated the Dream. She also contributed 15 points in 28 minutes.
Five Wings players finished in double digits. Even rookie Azura’ Stevens showed flashes of what’s to come, including her long distance shot that put the Wings over 100 total points. Overall the Wings appear to have a very balanced plan of attack. Perhaps the season-opener in Phoenix, an 86-78 loss was just a way to shake off the dust.
With Diggins-Smith at the controls, Cambage holding down center and very capable role players spreading the floor – the Wings give the home crowd great hope for the young season.
In attendance to celebrate Sunday’s home opener were special guests – Dallas Cowboys running back Rod Smith, rap artist Dorrough and gospel artist Kirk Franklin.
