ROSEMONT, Ill. (Interstat) — Jessica Shepard recorded a triple-double to lead the Dallas Wings past the Chicago Sky 99-89 on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. Shepard finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Paige Bueckers scored 24 points, while Arike Ogunbowale added 23 for Dallas, which improved to 3-2. The Wings outscored Chicago 34-26 in the third quarter to seize control. Kamilla Cardoso led Chicago with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Natasha Cloud scored 21 points, and Skylar Diggins added 15 for the Sky, also 3-2. Dallas shot 50 percent from the field, including nine 3-pointers, and made 18 of 23 free throws. Chicago shot 47.8 percent, hit five 3-pointers and went 20 of 24 at the line. The Wings held a 9-6 edge on offensive rebounds and committed eight turnovers to Chicago’s nine.

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Interstat) — Jessica Shepard recorded a triple-double and the Dallas Wings overcame a slow start to defeat the Chicago Sky 99-89 on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. Shepard, a forward from Fremont, Nebraska, finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in 31 minutes. She shot 5 of 9 from the field and 8 of 11 from the free-throw line, anchoring a Dallas offense that posted an offensive rating of 120.8 points per 100 possessions. The victory improved the Wings to 3-2 on the season, matching Chicago’s record. Paige Bueckers scored 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting, grabbed three rebounds and dished four assists in 33 minutes. Arike Ogunbowale added 23 points, hitting four 3-pointers, along with two rebounds and five assists. Li Yueru contributed seven points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Azzi Fudd scored 12 points, including two 3-pointers. Chicago was led by center Kamilla Cardoso, who posted 24 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. Natasha Cloud added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Skylar Diggins scored 15 points with four assists. Gabriela Jaquez had 12 points and five rebounds. The Sky jumped out to a 22-16 lead after the first quarter, powered by eight points from Cardoso and six from Cloud. Dallas struggled from the field, shooting 6 of 16, but managed to stay within striking distance. The Wings tightened their defense in the second quarter, holding Chicago to 16 points while scoring 21 of their own, including six from Bueckers. The teams entered halftime with Chicago leading 38-37. The turning point came in the third quarter, when Dallas erupted for 34 points, its highest-scoring period of the night. Bueckers scored 10 points in the frame, including a 24-foot three-pointer that gave the Wings a 55-49 lead with 4:05 remaining. Shepard added six points and four assists, and Li Yueru knocked down a 24-foot three-pointer of her own. The Wings shot 11 of 17 from the floor in the quarter and forced three Chicago turnovers. Dallas took a 71-64 lead into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Chicago cut the deficit to 82-80 with 5:13 remaining after a layup by Elizabeth Williams. But Ogunbowale answered with a 24-foot three-pointer off a pass from Bueckers, and Shepard followed with a driving floater to push the lead back to seven. The Sky never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Ogunbowale sealed the game with another three-pointer from 25 feet with 1:42 left, and Bueckers added a layup in the final minute. Dallas finished with a field-goal percentage of 50.0, making 36 of 72 shots, including 9 of 21 from beyond the arc. The Wings shot 18 of 23 from the free-throw line. They grabbed nine offensive rebounds and committed eight turnovers. Chicago shot 32 of 67 from the field, 47.8 percent, and 5 of 21 from three-point range. The Sky made 20 of 24 free throws. They had six offensive rebounds and nine turnovers. Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams each blocked two shots, and Chicago finished with five blocks as a team. Both teams entered the game with identical 3-2 records. Dallas had won its previous game, a 92-69 rout of Washington on Monday, while Chicago had defeated Minnesota 86-79 on Sunday. The Wings lost their two prior games to Minnesota and Atlanta, and Chicago had dropped a 91-83 decision to Phoenix. A key sequence in the third quarter highlighted Dallas’s dominance. With the score tied at 47, Shepard found Ogunbowale for a pullup jumper, then assisted Bueckers on a driving floater. After a Chicago basket, Bueckers hit a three-pointer from the left wing, and Li Yueru added a corner three to extend the lead to 60-51. Shepard then completed a three-point play on a driving layup, and the Wings led by double digits for the first time. Shepard’s triple-double was her second in four games. She had 12 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the win over Washington, and recorded a near triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against Indiana on May 9. For the season, she is averaging 12.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists. Ogunbowale’s 23 points came on 8-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 8 from deep. She also made 3 of 3 free throws. Bueckers shot 11 of 20 from the floor and added four assists. For Chicago, Cardoso was efficient, making 9 of 14 field goals and 6 of 8 free throws. Cloud shot 7 of 15, including 1 of 5 from three, and made all six of her free-throw attempts. Diggins connected on 6 of 14 shots, but missed all five of her three-point attempts. The Wings will travel to Atlanta to face the Dream on Friday, then visit New York on Sunday. The Sky return to action Saturday at home against Minnesota. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Sky 95, Dallas Wings 80. The ELO system gave Chicago a 69.50 percent probability to win. Dallas was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5 points. The total of 99 points went over the over-under line of 170.5.

WNBA: Wings at Sky Preview CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Dallas Wings (1-2) visit the Chicago Sky (3-1) on Wednesday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, in a matchup of teams heading in opposite directions early in the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT. Dallas is coming off a 90-86 loss at home to Minnesota on Thursday, its second straight defeat. Guard Paige Bueckers led the Wings with 27 points, three rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes. For the season, Bueckers is averaging 20.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. The former UConn star scored 15 points against Atlanta on May 12 and 20 points in a 107-104 win over Indiana on May 9. Chicago enters on a two-game winning streak after an 86-79 victory at Minnesota on Sunday. Center Kamilla Cardoso posted 11 points and 12 rebounds, and guard Gabriela Jaquez added 20 points and eight rebounds. Jaquez has scored in double figures in three of four games this season, including a 13-point effort against Phoenix on May 15 and a 10-point, seven-rebound performance against Golden State on May 13. The Sky are projected to win 95-80, according to Interstat’s game simulator. Dallas will look to reverse its early-season struggles, while Chicago aims to build momentum before a Saturday home game against Minnesota. The Wings travel to Atlanta on Friday.