Arike Ogunbowale scores 22 points and hits 5 3-pointers in the Wings’ victory over the Aces

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points and made five 3-pointers, Jessica Shepard had 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and the Dallas Wings beat the Las Vegas Aces 96-66 on Monday night for their fifth straight win at home.

Dallas scored 29 points in the first quarter and had a 28-point lead with 3:13 remaining in the first half before Las Vegas closed on a 9-0 run to get within 56-37 at the break. Shepard had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists by halftime, and Ogunbowale and Azzi Fudd each scored 11.

Paige Bueckers ended Dallas’ six-minute field-goal drought, spanning halftime, on a 3-pointer early in the third for a 59-39 lead. The Wing led by double figures the entire second half.

Fudd finished with 19 points and Bueckers had 10 points and seven assists for Dallas (9-5). Awak Kuier, who made her first start for the Wings since Sept. 5, 2023, scored seven points in 27 minutes.

Shepard moved into a tie with Angel Reese for the most double-doubles in the WNBA this season with nine. She was subbed out with 4:41 remaining in the fourth.

LYNX 107, FIRE 74

MINNESPOLIS (AP) — Natasha Howard had 18 points to lead seven players in double-figure scoring for Minnesota in a victory over Portland, fueled by 26 points off 22 turnovers.

Nia Coffey contributed 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks in her best all-around performance of her debut season with her hometown team as the Lynx (11-3) roared back from their loss at Las Vegas on Saturday.

Coffey sank all three of her 3-point tries in a 35-point first quarter that matched the team’s season high in any frame, and the Lynx built a 27-point lead by the middle of the third quarter.

Minnesota improved to 5-1 in the round-robin schedule for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, but Las Vegas needed only to beat Dallas on Monday or Phoenix on Wednesday to secure the Western Conference spot. New York clinched the Eastern Conference’s berth on June 14, with the championship game set for June 30.