WNBA All-Star Game: Arike does it again, Clark and Reese help

PHOENIX — Breanna Stewart summoned his inner Yogi Berra after the WNBA defeated Team USA at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday night.

“Honestly, I feel like I’ve been through this before,” Stewart said.

It happened again.

Saturday played out in an eerily similar way to the 2021 All-Star Game in Las Vegas: The WNBA team again won by eight points, this time 117-109. Arike Ogunbowale led all scorers, this time with a WNBA All-Star Game record 34 points. And Ogunbowale won MVP. Again.

This year’s WNBA All-Star Game was part of a week that rewrote the record books, from Allisha Gray’s historic double win in the skills challenge and 3-point contest on Friday night to Ogunbowale’s starring role on Saturday, and from Stewart becoming the first player to record 30 points and 10 rebounds. Angel Reese became the first rookie in WNBA All-Star history to achieve a double-double.

Here are the top takeaways from All-Star week as the WNBA takes a month-long break during the Olympics.

The rookies showed up — just like they have all season.

It doesn’t matter that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were first-timers: They made a splash in their first All-Star Game and were integral pieces to Team USA’s victory. Clark had a quiet night scoring (4 points) but notched another game with double-digit assists (10), a rookie record and one game shy of Sue Bird’s all-time All-Star Game record (with the greatest player of all time appearing and seemingly chirping from the sidelines).

A master of double-doubles this season, Reese finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds to become the first rookie to record a double-double in an All-Star Game.

Certainly a memorable moment from Saturday will be when Clark found Reese under the basket for a layup early in the third quarter, and the two shook hands while running back on defense — which could be a preview for the All-Star Game, maybe even international competitions representing the United States, to come.

Now, both stars — who have been in the spotlight for more than a year and have been playing nonstop since November — finally get some time off before their two WNBA teams — ranked seventh and eighth in the standings — compete for a coveted playoff berth. — Philippou

A memorable second half

Ogunbowale went from 0 to 34 in just 20 minutes.

After going scoreless in the first half on Saturday, WNBA coach Cheryl Miller called Ogunbowale into the locker room at the end of the first half, even pointing at the Wings star and telling Ogunbowale to take a deep breath and play hard.

Ogunbowale responded by coming out swinging in the third quarter, scoring 21 points in the quarter — the most in a single quarter in WNBA All-Star Game history — by hitting 6 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 7 3-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws. Ogunbowale accounted for 58.3 percent of the WNBA’s 36 points in the third quarter.

A 27-foot three-pointer with 8:08 left in the third quarter gave the WNBA team a three-point lead and never looked back.

“As a scorer, when you see a couple go down like that, it gives you all the confidence in the world,” Ogunbowale’s teammate Caitlin Clark said. “The basket looked really big. So I know exactly how she feels. She’s just in the zone.” — Hamburgers

Team USA has a lot of work to do

The expressions on the faces of the U.S. national team said it all. There were no smiles after the game as commissioner Cathy Engelbert asked the crowd to applaud as the Olympic team headed to Europe and began their Olympic journey.

I’m afraid Cheryl will let them do it in the dressing room 😭 https://t.co/Bvc9yXkvCX pic.twitter.com/dWnodWZP4h

— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) July 21, 2024

USA coach Cheryl Reeve found her team’s defense the most disappointing, describing it as better than a typical all-star game, but lacking a collective effort with little support and little rim protection. Reeve lamented that her team gave up 52 points in the penalty box.

No, the U.S. women’s team won’t be facing Ogunbowale or a player as explosive as her in Paris, as Reeve joked after the game. But the defensive game certainly needs to be better for the program to win its eighth straight Olympic gold medal.

“We don’t go out and really compete to say we have a certain identity that we’re trying to portray,” Reeve said. “I have to figure that out. I have to help them achieve that.”

While the defense is a concern, the U.S. team’s backline has also not been as effective as expected. Diana Taurasi had a great night (14 points) in front of a friendly X-Factor crowd, but Chelsea Greywho is recovering from a foot injury that kept her sidelined for most of the regular season, playing just 10 minutes. Jewell LloydThe WNBA’s leading scorer last season, went 0-for-3 on the night. Young Jackie played less than four minutes in the first half, while Sabrina Ionescu only scored 2 in 6 appearances.

Stewart and A’ja Wilson It seems a relief that the craziness of the All-Star Game and weekend is over. No more distractions, no more fanfare. Now the team can focus solely on their commitment to USA Basketball and figure out how they can get stronger before Tuesday’s exhibition game in London against Germany. — Philippou

Team USA ‘changes the guard’

Saturday made this clear: The U.S. team is now Stewart and Wilson’s.

Both dominated the Olympic team in their loss to the WNBA, with Stewart posting a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds, and Wilson adding 22 points.

Not only did Stewart and Wilson lead with their play, they began the process of handing over leadership.

“We’re in a changing of the guard, if you will,” Stewart said. “A’ja and I have talked about that. It’s about making sure this is our team and we don’t let anything get past us.”

They played the most minutes Saturday night as Team USA tried to settle in and quickly find its rhythm with just one more friendly game before the Paris Olympics.

“Throughout this journey, A’ja and I will continue to find our voices more and more in the locker room,” Stewart said. “This is not a time to panic, but a time to learn, grow and figure out how we can be the best we can be together.” — Philippou