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Arlington, TX -- Playing at home with the memory of a recent triple overtime victory still fresh in their minds, the Dallas Wings were determined to keep on flying entering their game against the Phoenix Mercury.
With the WNBA celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Wings turned to their leader, Skylar Diggins, who played as if she was saluting the league's stars of the past.
Led by Diggins, the Wings were smart, sharp, concise and played with a sense of passion and determination, seeming to feed off the energy of the nearly 7,000 in attendance at the College Park Center.
After tearing her ACL last year, Diggins is making her way back into shape. Based on her play against the Mercury, it seems she's back in full form.
Diggins gives a lot of credit to her teammates who have helped her get on track to a successful recovery.
"I've been getting into the rhythm and getting into the game," said Diggins. "My teammates have been finding me. The last game we were playing desperate, down 17, and just wanted to make it a game. We're just playing together. We're finally all on the court. All 12 of us are available to play. We're slowly starting to gel coming off of a six-game skid. Now on a three-game winning streak, two coming against a championship caliber team.
"That's great momentum for us heading into this week. We have two more coming up. We have so many games this season; it's a good thing to have short-term memory. Think of it as one-game series. Take it one game at a time. Like O (Odyssey Sim) said, we're just having fun again."
Diggins poured in 20 points on 8-12 shooting, including 2-4 from three-point range, helping the Wings top the Mercury, 100-90.
The Wings delivered a consistent performance throughout all four quarters with balanced scoring from several of its players. Head coach Fred Williams, explained tonight's win as a great success stating, "It's a good sign. We've been fortunate to have all 12 players. We started the first few games without everyone, so now we can rotate players in and different combinations of speed and size.
"It helps a lot. (Wings guard) Skylar (Diggins) has been on point for us on the floor. I was very pleased with Odyssey Sims and her play. We had good team defense in the second half."
Diggins' leadership style was in full display throughout the game, as her teammates fed off her energy with a tenacity necessary to keep the Mercury at bay.
There's a lot that goes into beating a team like the Phoenix Mercury. Whether that be skill or just plain love for the game - it's clear that Skylar Diggins has got it all.