The Dallas Wings fell 81-65 to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday during a rematch of the season opener, pushing the team’s losing streak to five. Guard-Forward DiJonai Carrington opened the scoring in the eighth minute with two free throws. Both teams went back and forth with 3-pointers until the Lynx sparked a 7-0 run. Early turnovers gave the Lynx chances. Head coach Chris Koclanes said some of it came down to the team’s decision making. “We have to improve finishing around the rim,” Koclanes said. “Turnovers and missed layups lead to tough situations on the other end, and they definitely took advantage of those.” The Wings continued to miss shots before rookie guard JJ Quinerly scored on a layup. The Lynx would answer right back and produced four more points when Lynx guard Kayla McBride was fouled on a 3-point shot. With under two minutes left in the first quarter, the Wings brought the game back within seven points, as the Lynx carried a 24-14 lead into the first break. At the start of the second quarter, the Wings began playing a more cohesive game, getting stops and scoring points, but foul trouble allowed the Lynx to maintain possession. Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale said that in the last three games, she was getting trapped and hedged anytime she touched the ball, but in the second half of the game, she got a lot more freedom. Ogunbowale scored 17 of the Wings’ 25 points in the quarter as they went into the half down 46-39. The start of the third quarter had shot clock violations from both sides as neither team could mount much offense. Dallas was held scoreless for the first 4 minutes of the quarter before going on a 17-4 run. With 1 minute 54 seconds left in the third, the Wings forced a Lynx timeout before bringing the game within two points. The Lynx started the fourth quarter with a narrow 57-56 lead over the Wings. A 7-0 run caused Koclanes to call a timeout 3 minutes and 20 seconds into the final frame. Even with the stoppage, the Wings couldn’t find an answer as the Lynx continued to score. “Tough offensive stretches just keeps you having to grind and grind on the defensive end, and, a good team like that, they really take advantage of any type of slippage or missed coverage,” Koclanes said. This was the fourth game in a row the Wings played without rookie guard and No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers. Guard Tyasha Harris was also out due to injury while center Teaira McCowan was out on national team obligation. The Wings will head to the road to face off against the Phoenix Mercury at 9 p.m. Wednesday for another Commissioner’s Cup game. Ogunbowale said she couldn’t have expected the season to go perfectly right away, and that the team is still building and sticking together. “It's a long season, so we're just gonna keep getting better,” she said. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Coming off a loss in the season opener, the Dallas Wings (0-2) looked to bounce back against the Seattle Storm (1-1). However, their valiant effort wasn’t enough, falling 79-71 Monday at College Park Center. CPC was rocking from tipoff to the final buzzer with fans highly anticipating the team’s first win of the season. Dirk Nowitzki, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, and Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs center, were among a few notable attendees recognized by the team and fans. The Storm led by one at the end of the first quarter and created more separation by halftime. Seattle came out blazing, making nine of its first 11 3-pointers. With eight turnovers in the half, the Wings trailed 56-41 at the break. Rookie guard Paige Bueckers bounced back in her second game as a Wing. After a debut that fell short of expectations, she led the team in scoring with 19 points, and added eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block. After being double-teamed throughout the game, Bueckers said it’s probably smart to blitz and get the ball out of her hands and use fewer ball screens. “It’s just a different look that defenses are throwing at me, which is an adjustment,” she said. “[I will] just continue to learn and work through that.” Out of halftime, forward DiJonai Carrington sparked a quick 6-0 for the Wings, with tenacious defense leading to fast break opportunities. Dallas continued clawing its way back within striking distance. An 11-0 run highlighted by two 3-pointers by forward Maddy Siegrist helped the Wings cut the lead to five at the end of the third quarter. Dallas got within three points early in the fourth quarter but wasn’t able to limit turnovers down the stretch. Despite the loss, Siegrist said she was pleased with how the team responded after being down 15 at halftime. Guard Arike Ogunbowale struggled to get going and grew frustrated throughout the game. She shot 2-14 from the field and finished with eight points. Despite the performance, head coach Chris Koclanes said the game presented a “growth opportunity” for her. “Continue to coach her and empower her to continue to be aggressive, while also still playing within our structure and finding ways to impact the game when she’s not scoring,” Koclanes said. He said the team is working to consistently play at a high level. “If we’re going to compete night in and night out in this league, it’s going to take a level of hard work and effort that we have within us but hasn’t been demanded of us consistently,” Koclanes said. ”We’re working to establish that here, and we will get that night in and night out.” The Wings will play their first road game of the season in a rematch against the Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. Wednesday. “They’re still fresh on our mind. We just played them, so we’ll be familiar with a lot of their actions,” Koclanes said. “It’ll be fun to see if we can step up to the challenge.” @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA baseball (19-31) capped its regular season with an 8-1 win over Seattle University (20-32) Saturday at Clay Gould Ballpark, building momentum for next week's Western Athletic Conference tournament. Under first-year head coach Mike Trapasso, the Mavericks navigated a season of highs and lows this spring. Trapasso helped steer the team through the transition and into postseason fulfillments. UTA finished 11-13 in WAC play, just shy of a winning conference record, securing the No. 7 seed for the upcoming tournament. Junior infielder Xavier Melendez led the Mavericks at the plate, posting a team-high .320 batting average out of those with at least two plate appearances per game and 75% of games played. Before the first pitch, UTA honored its 12 seniors with a Senior Day ceremony, presenting each with a framed photo and Mavericks jersey. “The obvious is that you’re happy for your seniors, and it's always good to win on Senior Day,” Trapasso said. ”Particularly when the reason you’re winning is because of the seniors and the way they played.” Despite the bolstering win against the Redhawks, the team couldn’t secure the series, dropping the first two games with a 6-2 loss Thursday and a 10-5 loss Friday. Pitching stood out at today's game, stopping Seattle in its tracks. Senior Jack Hagan recorded five strikeouts, and along with senior Aaron Calhoun, only allowed five hits in the game against 30 at-bats. Putting the seniors’ performances aside, Hagan tipped his hat to the defense, noting zero errors in the game. “Our defense today was absolutely outstanding. Being up there knowing that your defense got your back is probably the best feeling ever – you get more relaxed,” Hagan said. “You can give up a ground ball, a fly ball, and you know they’re gonna make the plays.” A strong start from the Mavericks gave them an early 3-0 lead, immediately countering a Redhawks run in the second inning by scoring again in the third. A Redhawk error gifted another run for the Mavericks in the seventh, followed by three more runs off loaded bases in the eighth. The team had no shortage of offensive pressure, with 10 hits to double the Redhawks’. All but one of the runs scored were produced from RBIs. Redshirt junior infielder Tyce Armstrong went 2-3 in the batter's box today and contributed three runs for the Mavericks. With the regular season wrapped up, UTA now turns its attention to preparations for next week’s WAC tournament, which begins Tuesday and will run through Saturday’s championship round. The full schedule isn’t finalized, but UTA is slated to face in-state rival Tarleton State University in Game 1 at noon opening day. “It’s just been a roller coaster of adversity and the kids have hung in there, and just to see them play well now,” Trapasso said. “Hopefully, we’re on the high end with the peak of the roller coaster next week and go from there.” @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

A boisterous, sold out crowd packed the seats at UTA's College Park Center on Friday in anticipation for No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers’ professional debut in the Dallas Wings 2025 season opener against the Minnesota Lynx. The University of Connecticut alum joined the Wings in the offseason as one of the team's newest rookies, following her standout collegiate career, which includes an NCAA national championship. Bueckers earned a spot in the starting lineup and recorded just shy of 30 minutes in the Wings’ first regular-season home game. She finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists. Her first WNBA points came 46 seconds into the game, scoring on a rebound from her own missed shot to open the scoring. Despite the crowd’s unending support, the team struggled late in the game which led to a 99-84 loss against the Lynx. “We don’t want to overreact to the loss,” Bueckers said. “We also know there is a lot of things you gotta clean up and get better at, just starting it off, starting this journey and continue to build on it the next day at practice.” The game marked the Wings’ final season at College Park Center, the team’s home for the past nine seasons. The team’s previous season in the stadium ended with a 9-31 record that petered out on a nine-game losing streak. Wings guard DiJonai Carrington focused on the positives, praising the team’s effort and the bond they built. “I think we did a great job of staying together. When we got down, we were still talking to each other on the court, on the bench, whenever we huddle together,” Carrington said. “So I like that, especially from a young team, it's easy to start to go your own ways.” Carrington scored 15 points in her debut for the Wings and added four rebounds. In the second quarter, she made a crucial steal that led to a layup by Wings forward Maddy Siegrist in the final seconds of the first half, tying the game at 46. With the team having undergone roster changes for staff and players, newly appointed head coach Chris Koclanes is set on giving everyone opportunities. He said he likes the current lineup, but will continue working to find the best fit for the team. After a nail-biting first half, the Wings started to crumble under pressure. Multiple personal fouls and turnovers found the Wings down 81-66 in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Wings tried closing the gap, but the Lynx pulled away as the game neared its end. By the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Wings trailed by 17. Koclanes called a timeout to assess the damage in the final moments. Back-to-back threes from Lynx guard Courtney Williams crushed the Wings’ chance of recovery as they fell 99-84. “I think for us as well as a staff, it’s a learning process, so we’re not going to be perfect early,” Koclanes said. “We’re going to learn and get better from it, how we can best support these players and put them in positions to be successful.” The Wings will return after the weekend to face the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. Monday at College Park Center. Live streaming for the game will be available on ION. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

With their 2025 home opener set for Friday, the Dallas Wings are rolling into the summer with several changes in the works: a new staff, a rebuilt roster and one final year at College Park Center before relocating to downtown Dallas. The Wings began their partnership with CPC after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and have called Arlington home for the past nine seasons. Pending approval from the WNBA, the team will move to Dallas for the 2026 season, set to play in the heart of the city at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The Wings struggled to find success early in their tenure in Arlington. Despite having advanced to the semifinals in 2023, the team has yet to make it through the playoffs with a positive record. With a vast roster rebuild, the team hopes to revert to winning ways. During the off season the Wings introduced Chris Koclanes as the new head coach and Curt Miller as the new general manager and executive vice president. Koclanes was previously the defensive coordinator for the Connecticut Sun and an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Under Koclanes, the Connecticut Sun ran a bolstering defense, leading the league in defensive scoring average and defensive field goal percentage in 2021. The coach also helped the team reach the 2019 and 2022 WNBA finals. Miller is the first general manager for the team since they moved to Arlington. He served as the Los Angeles Sparks head coach for two years and worked with Koclanes as the Connecticut Sun general manager and head coach for seven seasons. “It’s fantastic being back with Curt. He’s been a tremendous mentor for me and to have that support system there, someone who’s lived this and breathed this,” Koclanes said. The two share a vision for the team and staff. Koclanes said Miller is consistently available for guidance without overstepping, and is an invaluable resource for him and the staff. The Wings also drafted five players to the roster this preseason, including No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith have joined the team as free agents. The Wings also obtained the reserved rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who joined as part of a four-team trade. The Wings have maintained three members from the 2024 roster: Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist. Ogunbowale joined the Wings out of University of Notre Dame in 2019 and became a staple for the team’s success. “I think people are catching on, and I think the players we have are gonna embody that type of style and grace and just support the city, and just put the city on the map, so I’m excited for that,” Ogunbowale said. Koclanes said he’s focused on flexibility to build a game plan that fits the roster and reflects the team’s strengths. Players already have strong chemistry, and he expects it to keep growing. The team has an autonomous dynamic, and he said he believes accountability and leadership will develop organically. Bueckers said that the team has acknowledged the challenges of a young team and is prepared for growing pains. “You never want to get used to losing, but you want to get used to learning from good games, learning from lessons, and moving forward and taking whatever you learned from the last game, the last practice, the last whatever to continue to make you better for the future,” she said. With the team’s final preseason game in the books, the Wings open up their season against the Minnesota Lynx at 6:30 p.m. Friday at College Park Center. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Arlington Renegades (3-4) faltered to No. 1 Michigan Panthers (5-2) 25-24 in the inter-conference match Saturday, crushing hopes in their last home game of the season. The game marked the fourth overall loss to Michigan, breaking a 3-3 tie between teams. Despite the loss, the Renegades were applauded by Michigan head coach Mike Nolan, who noted the team's fight throughout the game. “They played an outstanding game, they had a heck of a game plan, both sides of the ball and all the faces, my hats off to them,” Nolan said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.” Arlington struggled in the first half, unable to reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. Kicker Lucas Havrisik’s four field goals accounted for half of the Renegades’ points. The momentum swung on Arlington’s side in the third quarter where the team produced two field goals and recovered two fumbles to take a 12-9 lead. That energy carried into the fourth quarter with the Renegades scoring an early touchdown from wide receiver Tyler Vaughns, who caught a 29-yard deep left pass from quarterback Luis Perez. A failed two-point conversion left Arlington with an 18-9 lead. Only four touchdowns were produced between both teams. The Renegades’ lead was snatched by the Panthers on the next play after they scored on a drive, tying the match with a successful 3-point conversion. Panther quarterback Bryce Perkins was a notable threat to the Renegades’ defense. He averaged 8.2 passing yards and 7.5 rushing yards throughout the game. “That fourth quarter, we had all kinds of pressure on [Perkins], or guys grabbing him, he’d just find a way to fling it to somebody or get out,” Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said. “I don’t know how many times we thought we had him sacked or broken up, and he’d find somebody.” Arlington responded with a late fourth-quarter touchdown off a pass from Perez to tight end Sal Cannella, reclaiming the lead. The Panthers regained possession at the two-minute warning. After a series of completions and timeouts, Michigan found itself deep in Arlington territory. Perkins scrambled out the pocket and gained 10 yards to put the Panthers in scoring position. With one second on the clock, Michigan running back Toa Taua rushed up the middle for a touchdown, finding a 24-24 game. The Renegades' defense set up to hold the lead, but a successful one-point conversion sealed the game for the Panthers. “These games, win or lose, they’re always tight, close games, so I’m sure next week will be no different,” Stoops said. “Hopefully we could be on a better side of some of these calls that we’re getting, but we gotta do our part to acknowledge what can be better with us.” Arlington will return to XFL conference play against the D.C. Defenders at noon May 18 at the Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Live streaming will be available on ESPN. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu