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

PHOENIX — Brianna Stewart called out her inner Yogi Berra after the WNBA beat Team USA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday night.

“It was like a sense of déjà vu, honestly,” Stewart said.

All over again.

Saturday’s action was eerily similar to the 2021 All-Star Game in Las Vegas: The WNBA again pulled out an eight-point win, this time 117-109. Eric Ogunbowale led all scorers, this time with 34 points in the WNBA All-Star Game. Ogunbowale won the Most Valuable Player award. Again.

This year’s WNBA All-Star Game was part of a weekend that rewrote the history books. From Alicia Gray’s historic wins in the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Contest on Friday night to Ogunbowale’s heroics on Saturday, from Stewart becoming the first player to score 30 points and grab 10 rebounds to Angel Reyes becoming the first rookie in All-Star history to score two goals.

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

The rookies put in a great performance – as they have done all season.

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Caitlin Clark finds Angel Reyes for a shot.

WNBA’s Caitlin Clark passes the ball to Angel Reyes near the basket for a layup in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t matter that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reyes were rookies: They made waves in their first All-Star Game and were key contributors to Team USA’s win. Clark had a quiet night in scoring (4 points) but she recorded another double-double (10), a rookie record and one game shy of Sue Bird’s all-time All-Star Game record (with the all-time great on the court).

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

The memory of Saturday will surely linger in the minds of many when Clark found Reese under the basket for a point early in the third quarter, and the two exchanged high fives while running on defense — a preview of future All-Star games, and perhaps even international competitions representing the United States.

Now, the two stars who have been in the spotlight for more than a year, playing non-stop since November, are finally getting some rest. Their WNBA teams, ranked seventh and eighth in the standings, will compete for two playoff spots when games return in August. Philip

The second half of the memory

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Ogunbowale hails Stars teammates after record-breaking match

Arike Ogunbowale joined SportsCenter to respond to her performance as the WNBA All-Star Game MVP.

Ogunbowale went from zero to 34 in just 20 minutes.

After the game ended scoreless in the first half, WNBA coach Cheryl Miller called Ogunbowale into the locker room during halftime, going so far as to point to the Wings star and tell Ogunbowale to take a deep breath and play her game.

Ogunbowale responded with 21 points in the third quarter — the most in a single quarter in WNBA All-Star Game history — on 6-of-10 shots, including 5-of-7 three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws. Ogunbowale scored 58.3 percent of the WNBA’s 36 points in the third quarter.

Her 3-pointer from 27 feet out with 8:08 left in the third quarter put the WNBA team up by three points and never looked back.

“As a scorer, when you see two guys go down like that, you feel the most confidence in the world,” said Ogunbowale’s teammate, Caitlin Clark. “The basket looks really big. So, I know exactly how it felt. It was in the danger zone.” Winfoss

Team USA has work to do.

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Brianna Stewart Eurosteps for a Stylish Float

Team USA’s Brianna Stewart uses a Eurostep to reach the bucket for buoyancy.

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

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

– Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) July 21, 2024

U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve called her team’s defense disappointing, describing it as better than a regular All-Star game but lacking in team effort, with little help and little protection. Reeve lamented that her team allowed 52 points inside the box.

No, the USA won’t be facing Ogunbowale or someone as strong as her in Paris, Reif said after the game. But there’s no doubt the defense needs to improve if the team is to win an eighth straight Olympic gold medal.

“We didn’t really go out there to compete to say we have a certain identity that we’re trying to play with,” Reeve said. “I have to come up with that. I have to help them come up with that identity.”

While the defense was a concern, the U.S. back line wasn’t as effective as it should have been. Diana Taurasi had a solid 14 points in front of a home crowd, but Chelsea Gray, who is recovering from a foot injury that sidelined her most of the regular season, played just 10 minutes. Jewel Lloyd, the WNBA’s leading scorer last season, made just three shots. Jackie Young played less than four minutes in the first half, and Sabrina Ionescu made just 2 of 6 shots from the field.

Stewart and A’ja Wilson appear to have relaxed after the madness of the All-Star Game and weekend. There are no more distractions or commotion. Now the team can focus fully on its commitments with the USA Basketball team and figure out how to come out stronger for Tuesday’s friendly in London against Germany. Philip

“Changing of the US team’s guards”

It became clear on Saturday: Team USA now belongs to Stewart and Wilson.

The duo dominated the game for the Olympic team in its loss to the WNBA team, with Stewart scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and Wilson adding 22 points.

Beyond leading through their play, Stewart and Wilson have already begun the leadership transition process.

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

They played the most minutes Saturday night as Team USA tried to get their act together and find a fast pace with only one exhibition game before the Paris Olympics.

“Throughout this entire journey, Aja and I will continue to be more vocal in the locker room,” Stewart said. “This is not a time to panic, this is a time to learn, grow and figure out how we can be our best together.” — Winfoss