Dallas Wings’ comeback bid blunted by Indiana’s clutch free throws
Candice Dupree scored 18 points, Briann January added 16 and they combined to make six free throws in the last 38.1 seconds to help the Indiana Fever hold off the Dallas Wings 91-85 on Saturday night.
After Dallas, trailing by 10 with 3:13 to play, closed to 85-82 on Skylar Diggins-Smith’s jumper with just under a minute left, January drove to the basket and was fouled.
January made two free throws with 38.1 seconds remaining and, after a Dallas inbounds violation, added two more with 26.2 left.
Glory Johnson, who led the Wings with 22 points and 13 rebounds, scored off an offensive rebound with 19.7 seconds left, but Dupree set the final margin with two free throws with 17.9 to go.
Dallas (3-4), which beat the Fever by 27 at home Tuesday, kept battling back after trailing by double figures several times in the second half.
Wings woo Cambage
The Wings are doing their best to woo Australian center Liz Cambage to return to the WNBA.
She visited Dallas this week while on vacation and was in New York, coincidentally, for the Wings game against the Liberty, which Dallas lost 93-89.
Coach Fred Williams didn’t know when and if Cambage would return to the team, which still owns her rights after drafting the 6-foot-8 star in 2011 with the No. 2 overall pick.
Cambage’s first stop on her vacation was Dallas to see Australian teammate Erin Phillips, who works for the Wings now after retiring in May.
“Liz and I are really close,” Phillips said. “She’s here in New York, we’re having lunch again. When you’re a foreigner you want to have a piece of home when you go overseas and hopefully she sees that in me.”
The Wings took Cambage on a tour of AT&T Stadium in Dallas, with the team logo and “Welcome to Dallas Liz” on the 25,000-square foot video board. She took in the team’s home game Tuesday night in a luxury suite.
Dallas | 12 | 20 | 26 | 27 | — | 85 |
Indiana | 15 | 26 | 28 | 22 | — | 91 |
DALLAS (85)—Christmas 4-10 4-4 14, Diggins-Smith 4-11 7-9 17, G.Johnson 9-15 3-3 22, Gray 4-10 0-1 9, Plaisance 1-6 4-4 6, Akhator 1-2 0-0 2, Chong 1-2 1-1 3, Davis 3-7 0-1 6, Thornton 1-4 4-4 6. Totals 28-67 23-27 85.
INDIANA (91)—Coleman 2-6 4-6 9, Dupree 8-16 2-3 18, January 5-6 6-6 16, Larkins 3-3 2-2 8, Mitchell 3-9 8-8 14, Achonwa 6-11 0-1 12, Gwathmey 1-4 3-3 5, McCall 1-3 2-2 4, Wheeler 2-7 0-0 5. Totals 31-65 27-31 91.
3-Point Goals—Dallas 6-19 (Christmas 2-4, Diggins-Smith 2-6, G.Johnson 1-1, Gray 1-3, Thornton 0-1, Plaisance 0-4), Indiana 2-12 (Wheeler 1-4, Coleman 1-4, Mitchell 0-2, Gwathmey 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Dallas 34 (G.Johnson 13), Indiana 33 (Larkins, Achonwa 7). Assists—Dallas 15 (Diggins-Smith 5), Indiana 17 (January 7). Total Fouls—Dallas 23, Indiana 19. Technicals—Indiana defensive three second, Indiana team, Indiana coach Pokey Chatman. A—6,529 (18,165).
This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Dallas Wings’ comeback bid blunted by Indiana’s clutch free throws."