Dallas Wings 1–7: The Anime Episode Where the Hero’s Still Powering Up & Everyone Else Passes First

Dallas Wings Breaks Its Own Heart Again. Seattle Says ‘Thanks.

Let’s be clear, the Dallas Wings aren’t bad. They’re just heartbreak artists with a flair for dramatic collapses.

This team has talent. Grit, and it’s not lazy.

Tuesday night in Seattle was more of the same — a flash of promise, a burst of grit, and then a fourth-quarter faceplant that’s becoming an all-too-familiar horror film.

20 offensive boards worth of hustle. DiJonai Carrington straight up had the dawg in her (22 points, full vocal leader mode). But this team also is earning a PhD in “How to Blow a Lead.”

Up 38–30 at half. Then came the same horror movie we’ve seen 5 times this season. Cue the third quarter meltdown that include huge Seattle runs, and Wings‘ missed shots.

Skylar Diggins hit a flagrant-and-1 layup with 3:40 left and iced it. Ezi Magbegor followed it up with a bucket. And just like that, an 8-point halftime lead turned into an 83–77 loss. Again. With this loss five of those seven losses have come by single digits — signs of a team that’s competing but can’t close.

Final: Storm 83, Wings 77.

Five of seven Ls by single digits. That’s not a bad team. That’s a haunted one.

“We just gotta figure out how to finish games, lock in in the 4th quarter…” said DiJonai Carrington.

Dallas missed 8 straight shots during Seattle’s third-quarter storm surge. They got enough looks to win, but shots rolled off, whistles didn’t come, and no one in blue seemed to have the magic word for “momentum.”

Head coach Chris Koclanes didn’t sugarcoat it and watched the exact same movie we all saw.

“We got enough shots on the rim to win that game. More will go in the future and we’ll be alright…I love that we play downhill and put pressure on the paint…we’ve got to finish around the rim, and get more and-1s and not always looking for foul calls…”

Moral of the story? The team don’t suck — they just don’t close. Yet.

And when they do, someone’s catching hell. That might as well be the thesis statement for the 2025 Wings: not finishing what they start.

Still, it’s not all gloom and spirals.

Carrington dropped 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting, splashing 2 threes and crashing for 8 rebounds. She’s not just hooping — she’s becoming the locker room voice.

 

“Each game, we’re getting more comfortable playing together…we had 20 Oboards…we were still crashing the boards hard” said carrington.

Head coach Chris Koclanes also acknowledged DiJonai’s big contribution this game.

“DiJonai thankfully stepped in and filled that role for us…”

The Village Is Burning. Arike’s Not Gone — She’s loading Up

Here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: if you’re a star, you’ve gotta be the star when it counts.

Right now, Arike Ogunbowale hasn’t had her moment.

Yet.

She’s the face of the franchise. The walking bucket. A bonafide superstar. And yeah — lately it’s looked more like she’s laying bricks than breaking ankles. Against Seattle, she shot 4-of-15 for just 8 points — not the closer energy Dallas needed in a one-possession game down the stretch.

But this ain’t slander, not in the slightest.

This is the moment before the main character glow-up.

Anyone who’s followed Arike knows what she’s built for. She’s dropped game-winners on national TV like it was as causal as fast food. She’s silenced Final Four crowds, hit big shots routinely in her career

And when it clicks?

It’s going to look like Naruto popping out of the smoke while the village is getting wrecked and Sakura’s screaming “WE NEED YOU!”

That’s where Dallas is right now. The storm is hitting, the fourth quarters have been ugly, and everyone’s looking to the franchise player to walk through that tunnel and shut it all down.

Coach Chris Koclanes sees it too. He’s not just throwing her the ball and hoping — he’s trying to build something with her:

 

“Communicating to connect with her and help her… DiJonai thankfully stepped in and filled that role for us… it’s even harder when those generals are not on the floor… just continuing to find her, her shots and her spots and her comfort… we’re exploring and she’ll continue to get more and more comfortable.”

Translation? The chakra’s still charging and it’s hard to get Arike to cook when there’s no chef in the kitchen. But they’re working on the recipe.

Arike’s just been asked to be everything, everywhere, all at once — without the setup most stars get. No true point guard.

No steady late-game system.

She’s getting face-guarded like she stole something, and still trying to carry the village. But you don’t count out the hero in episode 7. You wait for the silhouette in the smoke, the momentum swing, the one shot that quiets the whole arena.

She hasn’t had that moment yet this season.

But it’s coming.

And when it hits?

Dallas won’t just survive.

They’ll believe.

The Finale

This team’s problem isn’t effort.

It’s execution. The defense? Leaky.

The offense? Sloppy.

And the fourth quarter? Straight-up haunted.

There’s also some Luisa Geiselsoder light peeking through the tunnel. She drained a three to beat the halftime buzzer and earned Koclanes’ praise:

“She had a positive impact off the bench…she can keep you honest and keep that floor spaced.”

Still — moral victories don’t go on the standings page.

“Once we weather this storm…it’s going to get us where we need to be.” — Myisha Hines-Allen

“Maybe myself included, just pretending the refs ain’t there…we just have to have a new level of toughness, especially down the stretch.”

If the Wings ever learn to close, they’ll be scary. Until then, they’re just a great first-half team with a fourth-quarter ghost.

And the West, nor the rest of the WNBA sn’t waiting for them to figure it out.