Dallas’ agony continues as Wings collapse late, fall in OT

Arlington, TX -- The Dallas Wings had a big to-do list tonight: snap their two-game losing streak, stop Tina Charles from dominating the game, and send the New York Liberty back home with a loss.

These things sound good on paper, but actually, require a lot of different things to go right in order to get all three check marks.

The Wings had a slow start to the game offensively, hitting a lull in the second quarter which came back to haunt them as they were forced into an overtime that they weren’t prepared for.

A big indicator that things weren’t going right was the fact that only one starter for the Wings was in double-figures in the second half of the third quarter while the Liberty had three players over 10 and one with nine. This was one of the reasons those to-do items were never reached.

Another item that was on the list was stopping Tina Charles from dominating. This, as big of a feat as it may be, was also not accomplished. Charles finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, building onto her eight straight double-digit performance.

Although, Charles was not the shining star of the night for the Liberty: Shavonte Zellous was the one to steal the show and the win from the Wings.

Zellous not only led all scorers with 28, she also provided the buzzer shot to send the game into overtime in the fourth and provided offensive efficiency in overtime.

“I give credit to my teammates for not only finding me but going down the stretch to Tina,” Zellous said.

Charles also gave Zellous credit. “The sky’s the limit for Shavonte Zellous and what she’s able to do for our team. Shavonte Zellous stepped up huge for us.”

The Liberty’s ability to maintain a consistent offensive presence was the reason why they were able to shut out the Wings 102-93 in overtime and prove that timing really is everything when it comes to offensive boards and need-to-make shots.

Dallas is in the midst of a downhill spiral and the only thing that can get them out of it is going to be more consistent offensively and finishing the hustle plays.

Head Coach for the Wings Fred Williams agreed, saying they didn’t win the hustle plays.

“Like I said, every team in this league goes through a little struggle and a little strain,” Williams said. “For us, we just have to find a way to win the war on the boards and also get the hustle plays. That is the main thing.”

This game is the second of the three-game series between the Wings and the Liberty, with the Liberty winning the first two. The Wings hit the road to face the Washington Mystics on Sunday, June 18^th at 2 pm CT.