Arike Ogunbowale and Team WNBA Beat Brakes Off Team USA in All-Star Game

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark isn’t the only notable WNBA player not heading to Paris for the Olympics with Team USA. Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale certainly made sure everyone knew that while watching the All-Star Game. Ogunbowale set the record for most points ever scored in the exhibition, doing so in just a half of action. Ogunbowale dropped 34-points after halftime, proving coach Cheryl Miller right in the process. Miller had previously said her team wanted to “beat the brakes” off the Olympians.

The W squad did just that in the second half of an event that was a win for everyone, but certainly a loss for the Team USA roster heading to Paris. Arike was electrifying in her bucket-getting performance, cooking every defender put in front of her. But she was not alone in securing the win. Clark and fellow rookie Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky led the entire contest in assists and rebounds respectively. While Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm, Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream, and Kelsey Mitchell of the Fever all also reached double figures in scoring.

The game itself was played with high competitive spirit, in sharp contrast to what we have seen on the men’s side of things in the NBA in recent years. It also felt like a celebration of sorts. As though the growth of women’s basketball and the W has been remarkable, that conversation has been hijacked by negativity at times. All the noise felt like it was in the rearview at these festivities with everyone realizing the magnitude of the moment and how cool it was to have the eyes of so many sports fans on the event.

Smiles were seen all around, except for from the U.S. squad after the loss. And while the L doesn’t mean they won’t bring back gold, it did show that the league is in good hands going forward, as the future was on display in the WNBA All-Star Game. Given Arike, Clark, Reese and company looked like the faster and more talented unit, at least for one night.