Amy

Okonkwo

Okonkwo has been one of the most interesting stories for the Wings toward the end of this season. Not many expected the former TCU Horned Frog and Nigerian National team star to become a reliable scoring option for the Wings while they were down as many as five different players toward the end of the regular season. She reached a new career high in scoring, field goals made and made three-pointers and steals. Okonkwo scored at all three levels, hitting five three-pointers in addition to a trio of shots at the rim and a 13-foot mid-range pullup.

Bueckers led her team in scoring for the Wings’ final game of the season. She shot over 50% from the field in her fourth straight game, hitting a pair of three-pointers in addition to eight shots in the paint all within 10 feet of the basket. She created her offense on and off the ball, including off the dribble driving the ball while cutting off the ball and scoring. Bueckers dished out seven assists in her second straight game. On Thursday night she dished out passes to four different teammates for scores including hitting a cutting Haley Jones on pick-and-rolls, getting the ball out to Aziaha James and Amy Okonkwo in transition and finding Myisha Hines-Allen to exploit a mismatch.

One week after agreeing to a second seven-day contract, Okonkwo has inked a deal to keep her with the Wings for the remainder of the season. The 6-foot-2 forward has played well since joining the squad, averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 three-pointers in 18.8 minutes. Okonkwo will continue to provide the Wings with additional depth in the frontcourt.

Jones is back in the Wings’ starting lineup after missing two games with a right knee injury. Her return means Amy Okonkwo will come off the bench, but she should still factor into Dallas’ rotation. The other four starters are unchanged, with Hines-Allen playing after initially being questionable due to illness.

After a two-game absence, Jones has been cleared to play in Thursday’s game. Her return pushes Amy Okonkwo to the bench, but she will remain in the Wings’ rotation.

Initially ruled out for Thursday’s game due to a right knee injury, Jones has been upgraded to questionable after a two-game absence. Amy Okonkwo has been her replacement in the starting lineup, with Diamond Miller and recent signing Christyn Williams picking up rotation minutes off the bench.

Okonkwo made her first-ever WNBA start on Monday and produced well. The rookie forward was one of only two Wings players to shoot at least 50.0 percent from the field, with her free-throw success also contributing to her finishing as one of four Dallas players to score in double figures. In addition to her contributions on the offensive end, Okonkwo tallied a career-high in steals and found some success on the defensive glass. She’ll likely remain a part of the Wings’ rotation over the final couple of weeks of the regular season.

The rookie forward will make her first-career WNBA start on Monday against the Lynx, replacing Diamond Miller in the opening unit. Okonkwo was originally signed to a 7-day contract in August by the Wings and has played well in her four appearances with the team. She’s posting averages of 11.3 points per game on efficient 53.1 percent shooting from the field. Dallas is riding a seven-game losing streak and is currently in last place in the WNBA standings.

Okonkwo continued her tear scoring the basketball. In just her third WNBA game ever she’s scored in double digits in all of them. Okonkwo became the third undrafted player in the WNBA’s past 20 seasons to average at least 11.3 points per game over her first three games in the league. She had her best quarter in the third on Friday night where she scored 7 of her 11 total points. Using her advantage as a 6'2" guard, Okonkwo pulled down six rebounds for the Wings, tying her with Myisha Hines-Allen as the team’s leader in rebounds on Friday.

Bueckers matched her career high in assists on Friday night, recording 10 of them in addition to earning her second career points-assists double-double. Bueckers found four different teammates including Maddy Siegrist, Myisha Hines-Allen, Amy Okonkwo and Grace Berger. She found Siegrist in transition, which has become par for the course. Okonkwo, Hines-Allen and Berger had open driving lanes that Bueckers was able to find. When it came to her scoring, Bueckers attacked the basket and scored most of her points inside the paint, although she hit two shots in the mid-range, her speciality as a scorer. She scored both on and off the ball, driving with the ball in her hands while running around with Rhyne Howard trailing her during Wings quarter court possessions.