PHOENIX — Arike Ogunbowale sat within the locker room at halftime of Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Sport with zero factors and Crew WNBA trailing by two. Coach Cheryl Miller pointed to Ogunbowale and known as her out in a shock transfer.
“I wasn’t anticipating her to say my identify,” Ogunbowale stated. “She simply instructed me to take a deep breath and play my sport.”
That she did.
Ogunbowale set a WNBA All-Star Sport document with 34 factors to earn her second All-Star Sport MVP and lead Crew WNBA to a 117-109 win over Crew USA in entrance of 16,407 followers at Footprint Middle.
“I suppose you guys noticed what occurred,” Ogunbowale stated.
Miller’s problem labored instantly. Ogunbowale scored 21 factors within the third quarter — essentially the most in a single quarter in WNBA All-Star Sport historical past — setting in movement a repeat of what she and Crew WNBA completed three years in the past when it knocked off Crew USA within the first All-Star Weekend with the WNBA-USA Basketball format. Ogunbowale additionally was named MVP of the 2021 sport after scoring 26 factors.
The nationwide staff rebounded from that loss to win a gold medal in Tokyo.
“It was like just a little little bit of a déjà vu feeling, truthfully,” stated Crew USA ahead Breanna Stewart, who registered a double-double with 31 factors and 10 rebounds.
In response to a postgame query that inadvertently talked about the NBA as an alternative of the WNBA, Crew USA coach Cheryl Reeve shortly quipped about Ogunbowale: “It felt like we had been guarding anyone from the NBA?”
Ogunbowale took her identify out of the pool of candidates for the U.S. ladies’s nationwide staff earlier this yr.
At one level throughout Reeve’s postgame information convention, the coach dropped one other one-liner. “Is Arike taking part in for any of those groups that we will play?” she stated to laughs.
Ogunbowale’s 34 factors had been the second most scored in any half in WNBA historical past, together with the common season, playoffs, All-Star Video games and the Commissioner’s Cup, in line with ESPN Stats & Data analysis. Solely Riquna Williams, who scored 35 factors within the second half for the Tulsa Shock in a 2013 regular-season sport, had extra.
That helped Ogunbowale turn into the fourth participant to earn a number of WNBA All-Star Sport MVPs, becoming a member of Lisa Leslie and Maya Moore, who every had three, and Swin Money, who had two.
“These are three greats, individuals who paved the best way for gamers like us,” Ogunbowale stated. “That is positively dope to be in that dialog.”
Ogunbowale’s efficiency was the icing on the cake of a historic WNBA All-Star Sport. Stewart turned the primary participant with 30 factors and 10 rebounds in a WNBA All-Star Sport, and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese turned the primary rookie to document a double-double, with 12 factors and 11 rebounds.
Crew USA’s A’ja Wilson scored 22 factors, Diana Taurasi added 14 and Brittney Griner put up 10.
Ogunbowale was complemented on Crew WNBA by Allisha Grey’s 16 factors, Nneka Ogwumike’s 14 and Kelsey Mitchell’s 13. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who acquired the beginning with essentially the most votes amongst all gamers, completed with 10 assists, one shy of Sue Fowl’s All-Star Sport document simply three days after setting a WNBA single-game document with 19 assists.
“That is Sue’s document,” Clark stated. “I am unable to take that from her. That is my homey.”
Clark was requested if Saturday evening’s win was vindication for being left off the Olympic staff, and she or he bluntly stated, “No.”
“I imply, they’re actually good,” Clark stated. “That they had loads of expertise on that staff and, I imply, it’s the similar, I feel [three] years prior. I am fairly positive Crew WNBA beat Crew USA.
“They had been completely high quality within the Olympics. Like, I feel, if something, it reveals how good this league is.”
Clark and Reese linked within the fourth quarter when Clark drove left and dropped a bounce cross to Reese after Crew USA middle Griner picked up Clark. Reese made a layup then she and Clark high-fived on the best way again down courtroom.
“I assumed that they had been skilled, like, as anybody at this degree could be,” Crew WNBA ahead Ogwumike stated of Reese and Clark. “I am at all times impressed by the 2 of them. I feel it was additionally actually enjoyable to see them taking part in collectively tonight. That they had some synergy and the maturity that they’ve getting into, not even simply being right here at All-Star however managing all the inflow that they get as the 2 rookies which can be actually getting quite a bit, loads of consideration.
“After which, after all, being celebrated too. I feel I want to suppose that they’d enjoyable as we speak, and I feel that is the primary purpose, particularly for first-time All-Stars, is to benefit from the expertise. They usually helped us win too.”