ARLINGTON — A third-quarter surge wasn’t enough for the Dallas Wings.
Despite ending the third quarter on a 17-4 run and taking a lead into the fourth quarter, the Wings fell 87-81 to the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center on Saturday.
The Sparks held the Wings to just two points for the first four minutes of the third quarter while adding 12 themselves, leading 57-46.
The Wings came back to tie the game at 59 with less than two minutes in the third quarter. They took a 63-61 lead going into the final period.
The Sparks regained their lead and led by as many as seven in the fourth quarter, a deficit the Wings couldn’t overcome.
“It’s rough, but the biggest thing for everyone is keeping our heads up,” Wings guard Odyssey Sims said. “I look forward to the next one. We can’t sit around and mope. Positivity is the best thing for us individually and as a group. So we’re going to stay together, continue to work.”
Sims, who was celebrating her 32nd birthday, led the Wings with 23 points.
She signed a salary-cap hardship contract with the Wings on June 25 and has been featured in the team’s starting lineup for six of eight games.
Arike Ogunbowale, a 2024 WNBA All-Star, had 12 points, a below-average performance for the team’s scoring-leader (22.6).
The Wings have won just two of their last 19 games and remain last in the league standings.
“It was only a few points,” Sims said. “We’re there. We just have to continue to figure it out, stay positive, stick together, and be ready to work after we get back from break to get on a winning streak. It will take one game at a time. I am not looking too far into the season, but one game at a time, one possession at a time, and get that will to win back.”
The Wings will look for a better result when they host the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night. It will be their final game before the WNBA’s monthlong pause for the Paris Olympics.
