WNBA: Jessica Shepard logs triple-double as Wings sink Sky

Paige Bueckers scored a game-high 24 points, Arike Ogunbowale added 23 and Jessica Shepard notched a triple-double to boost the visiting Dallas Wings to a 99-89 victory against the Chicago Sky on Wednesday.

Dallas (3-2) kicked off a three-game road trip by spoiling the Sky's home opener, limiting the hosts to 5-for-21 shooting (23.8%) from 3-point range.

Shepard went 6-for-7 from the floor en route to 18 points, sparking a 50% effort for the Wings, who outscored the Sky 62-51 after halftime. She added 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

It was the first triple-double of the WNBA season and the second of Shepard's career.

The Sky (3-2) fell despite a 24-point, 11-rebound effort from Kamilla Cardoso. Natasha Cloud added 21 points and eight rebounds.

Skylar Diggins (15 points), Gabriela Jaquez (12) and Rachel Banham (10) followed in double figures for Chicago. Azzi Fudd had 12 points for Dallas.

The Wings led by nine early in the fourth quarter, but Elizabeth Williams' layup trimmed Chicago's deficit to six with 5:38 remaining. A 6-0 run pulled the Sky within 87-84 at the 2:32 mark before Ogunbowale stunted the rally with successive treys.

Dallas scored 12 of the game's final 17 points to pull away.

Chicago led by as many as 11 points in the first half, surging to a 22-11 advantage on Banham's four-point play late in the opening quarter.

Cardoso (12 points) and Cloud (nine) paced Chicago in the first 20 minutes, and the Sky were up 38-37 at halftime. Bueckers scored nine before the break.

Several injured Sky players showed support to newcomer Rickea Jackson (knee) by wearing the forward's jersey on the bench. An offseason acquisition from Los Angeles, Jackson led Chicago in scoring through four games before tearing her left ACL during a Sunday win at Minnesota, sidelining her for the rest of the season.

Dallas stopped a six-game losing streak against Chicago, defeating the Sky for the first time since May 15, 2024.

-Field Level Media/Reuters