Neither of the two teams – Dallas Wings and Chicago Sky – has looked particularly good to start the season. But there is still a whole lot of buzz surrounding them. Why? Well, when you’ve got generational stars like Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, you don’t need a perfect record to keep the fans watching. These two are easily in the top three or four biggest names in all of women’s basketball. So when they’re facing off – even this early in the season – you know everyone’s paying attention.
The game ended with Chicago finally breaking their four-game losing streak as they edged out the Wings 97-92 in a pretty intense home battle. It also marked Sky’s first win of the 2025 WNBA season. On the flip side, Dallas took their fourth loss in five games. So now both teams are sitting at 1-4 to kick off the regular season. Not ideal, but it’s early.
It was tight throughout, with both sides showing flashes of what could be. Sky came out hot, outscoring the Wings 29-19 in the first quarter, but Dallas chipped away and cut the lead to just six by halftime. In the third, Arike Ogunbowale’s sweet driving hook tied the game up at 59. Then Dallas finally snatched their first lead through some slick playmaking between Bueckers and Ogunbowale with 3:24 left in the quarter.
And that duo kept cooking all night. Arike was just unstoppable. She dropped 37 points, grabbed five boards, and dished out seven assists. The rookie stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, three blocks, eight assists, and three steals. So what’s been the secret behind their growing chemistry?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 11: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Dallas Wings reacts against the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center on June 11, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
When asked, Arike didn’t sugarcoat it, “Just conversation…you know conversations with coach, conversations with each other, just like you said, building that chemistry.” And while she’s loving how things are going between her and Paige, she made it clear, it’s not just about the two of them, the whole squad got to click. “But yeah, if we’re talking just me and Paige I think it’s growing day by day,” she added.
Now, sure, there were doubts floating around. People wondered if two dominant ball-handlers could really share the floor and make it work. But, the Wings seem to be figuring it out. With a new-look roster and fresh coaching staff, this is clearly still a work in progress but the signs are promising. Even in their lone win this season, Bueckers was lights-out with a season-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, plus five boards and seven dimes. Arike backed her up with 19 points.
It’s becoming pretty clear that they’re learning to play off each other, stepping up when the other one slips. That’s what good duos do. So, while this one slipped away, Dallas HC Chris Koclanes isn’t panicking. In fact, he dropped a little wake-up call postgame for the coming game. “The good thing is we get to see them again very quickly, so now we get to see how we can watch and what adjustments that we can make and see how we can respond,” he said.
Reese and the Sky are heading to Dallas this Saturday for Round 2. With home court on their side and a game’s worth of film to study, you better believe the Wings are coming in with revenge on their mind. That’s exactly what the new coach demands from his team.
For the time being, it may have been a quiet night on the scoreboard for Reese, but she still made history.
Angel Reese adds another chapter to WNBA history in win over Paige Bueckers & Co.
Even before the game tipped off, Angel Reese was already stealing the spotlight. Strutting into Wintrust Arena, Reese turned the pregame tunnel into her own runway. Dressed in a black Reebok tee from her very own ‘Angel Reese’ collection (which she made sure to flaunt), paired with patterned black pants, a pink puffy sweater, and a beige Chanel bag, the Sky rookie made a statement without even touching the ball.
The team’s socials caught all of it.
But once the lights came on, she turned the attention into action. The Chicago Sky finally got their first win of the 2025 WNBA season, outlasting the Dallas Wings 97-92 in a gritty battle. Kamilla Cardoso led the scoring with 23 points and 8 boards, but it was Angel who quietly made history – again.
After a slow first half with just 1 point and 6 rebounds, Reese came alive when it mattered. She finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, including a clutch dime to Cardoso for the go-ahead bucket late in the fourth. But her biggest moment has to be that she officially became the fastest player in WNBA history to notch 200 offensive rebounds, doing it in just 39 games.
ALMOST THAT TIME @redlobster | #skytown pic.twitter.com/JopvrY6HIl
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 29, 2025
But this isn’t even her first record of the season. She recently became the fastest player to reach both 500 points and 500 rebounds. She led the league in offensive boards last season and is already averaging 6.0 per game this year. Her total rebounding average is a beastly 13.0.
At this rate, she could hit 1,000 career rebounds by August. So, now sitting at 1-4, the Sky will hit the road for a rematch against Paige Bueckers and the Wings. And after making history again, you just know Angel will hit the court hungry and she is not done yet.
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