Things have gone from bad to worse for the Dallas Wings, who carry an eight-game losing streak into Thursday afternoon's contest against the host Chicago Sky.
Arike Ogunbowale, the WNBA's second-leading scorer at 24.9 points per game, missed Monday's game against the Minnesota Lynx due to a sore Achilles. She is considered day-to-day, with no formal decision yet from the Wings (3-10) about her availability for Thursday.
It's a blow for an already struggling team that has mostly been without injured frontcourt starters Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally. The Wings have lost by at least seven in their past seven games, and they rank 11th of 12 teams in the league in scoring defense at 86.2 points per game.
Despite it all, Dallas coach Latricia Trammell is opting to take an optimistic view.
"I could go on and on, it was just a great team effort and we can definitely build from this," Trammell said after Monday's 90-78 loss to Minnesota.
"... I just keep saying, as long as we keep moving forward in a positive way, and we get bodies back and the invaluable minutes that this team and these players are getting, you better watch out."
Maddy Siegrist led Dallas in scoring for the first time this season with 17 against the Lynx. Monique Billings tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Siegrist, however, broke a finger on her left hand in the first quarter. The team said Wednesday that no timeline for her return has been set.
The Wings' next three games are on the road, but they have opportunities to break their skid against the slumping Sky (4-9) and in two games at last-place Washington.
Chicago, which has lost four in a row, has been idle since Sunday's 91-83 loss to the Indiana Fever. The Sky kept the Fever within single digits down the stretch but could not get closer than three points.
"We're a super new team," leading scorer Marina Mabrey told reporters Sunday. "That's not an excuse, but there's some growing pains. Executing down the stretch, what Coach draws up and stuff, individually so that we as a team can succeed -- it's important."
Mabrey, who averages 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, scored 22 Sunday for the Sky. Chennedy Carter was added to the starting lineup and finished with 18 points.
The Wings and Sky split a pair of meetings in Texas to open the season. Ogunbowale scored 35 points in the second game, won by Chicago. Mabrey put up 19 and 14 points, respectively, in those games.
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