Paige Bueckers had 20 points and four assists as the Dallas Wings opened their WNBA season with a 107-104 victory over the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis on Saturday. Arike Ogunbowale led all scorers for the Wings with 22 points, while Odyssey Sims also contributed 20 points, including 12 in the second half, and hit a crucial free throw in the final seconds.
The game featured the past four No. 1 overall picks in the WNBA draft: Aliyah Boston (2023), Caitlin Clark (2024), Bueckers (2025), and Azzi Fudd (2026). It was the first season opener in league history where both teams scored over 100 points.
Key Moments
Caitlin Clark, playing her first WNBA game since July 2025 due to groin and ankle injuries, finished with 20 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, shooting 2-for-9 from three-point range. She scored her 1,000th career point on a layup to end the third quarter.
Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with a game-high 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Aliyah Boston added 23 points. The Wings shot 59.1% from the field and 12-for-23 from beyond the arc, while the Fever shot 51.9% overall but just 7-for-24 on three-pointers.
Fourth Quarter Drama
With 1.4 seconds left, Bueckers missed two free throws, giving the Fever a final chance. Clark was smothered on the inbound play, but Mitchell's three-point attempt to tie the game bounced off the rim. Sims' fast-break layup gave Dallas a 97-90 lead with four minutes left, but Mitchell clawed Indiana back. Bueckers responded with a 20-footer, and Alanna Smith and Sims scored to make it 105-100 with 36.4 seconds remaining.
Clark, who left the bench in the third quarter with a lower back wrap, returned to hit a layup and tie the game at 80. She was not in the starting lineup for the fourth quarter but reentered after further treatment.
Notable Debuts
Azzi Fudd, the 2026 No. 1 pick, made her WNBA debut off the bench, scoring three points on a corner three and recording one steal in 18 minutes. The game also featured Sophie Cunningham and Boston hitting consecutive threes in the second quarter.
"This game was rough. I'm not saying this was our best game, but we got the win," Ogunbowale said. Clark added, "I feel good, started off a little slow. I think just the anxiety of the first game. I felt like I was literally just a couple of buckets away from putting together a really, really good game and getting a win."
Neither team led by more than nine points in a back-and-forth contest. The Fever forced two five-second violations in the fourth quarter but could not capitalize. The win gives Dallas an early 1-0 record in the 2026 season.
