Quinerly, James help Wings get past Mystics in WNBA

Rookies JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James scored 15 points each to lead the Dallas Wings to a 79-71 win over the Washington Mystics on Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.

The Wings avenged a recent overtime loss to Mystics despite being without standout rookie Paige Bueckers, sidelined with a knee injury just a night after her 27-point performance.

Wings (5-13) came out firing, racing to a 28-9 lead after the first quarter and never relinquishing control. Arike Ogunbowale added 14 points, while Myisha Hines-Allen chipped in 13 points and a team-high five assists.



The Wings dominated the glass with a 41-26 rebounding edge and shot 56.7 percent in the first half, leading 45-31 at the break.

The Mystics (8-9) had its three-game winning streak snapped despite a game-high 22 points from Sonia Citron and 18 from Shakira Austin. Brittney Sykes returned from a two-game absence but was held to just six points.


The Mystics shot just 34.4 percent from the field, though they went an impressive 22-for-25 from the free throw line. However, they struggled to convert in key moments, including a nearly four-minute scoreless stretch to start the fourth quarter.


James’ 3-pointer early in the final frame gave the Wings breathing room after the Mystics trimmed the deficit to eight. The Mystics briefly narrowed the margin to 75-68 late, but Hines-Allen's bucket with 42 seconds remaining sealed the Wings’ win.

Dallas hit just 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, but James was a standout, going 3-for-4 from deep.