The Dallas Wings are headed to San Francisco after defeating the Las Vegas Aces 96-66; it’s the Wings’ second win over the reigning WNBA champions this season. Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points and made five 3-pointers, Jessica Shepard had 15 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists on Monday n ight for their fifth straight win at home. Dallas scored 29 points in the first quarter and had a 28-point lead with 3:13 remaining in the first half before Las Vegas closed on a 9-0 run to get within 56-37 at the break. Shepard had 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists by halftime, and Ogunbowale and Azzi Fudd each scored 11. Paige Bueckers ended Dallas’ six-minute field-goal drought, spanning halftime, on a 3-pointer early in the third for a 59-39 lead. The Wing led by double figures the entire second half. Fudd finished with 19 points and Bueckers had 10 points and seven assists for Dallas (9-5). Awak Kuier, who made her first start for the Wings since Sept. 5, 2023, scored seven points in 27 minutes. Shepard moved into a tie with Angel Reese for the most double-doubles in the WNBA this season with nine. She was subbed out with 4:41 remaining in the fourth. Jewell Loyd had 21 points and five 3-pointers off the bench, and A’ja Wilson added 18 points for Las Vegas (10-4). Chelsea Gray was scoreless in 29 minutes, and Jackie Young scored six points on 3-of-13 shooting. In their first meeting this season on May 28, Shepard had 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Wings beat the Aces 95-87. Up next Both teams play again on Wednesday, with Las Vegas traveling to Phoenix and Dallas (9-5, 5-3 Western Conference) at Golden State (9-5, 6-3 Western Conference), San Francisco; Wednesday, 9 p.m. CST. BOTTOM LINE: Golden State Valkyries will try to build upon its three-game win streak with a victory against Dallas Wings. The Valkyries are 6-3 in conference matchups. Golden State ranks seventh in the Western Conference with 18.9 assists per game, led by Veronica Burton, averaging 5.7. The Wings are 5-3 in conference games. Dallas is sixth in the WNBA with 9.2 offensive rebounds per game, led by Jessica Shepard, averaging 3.1. Golden State is shooting 40.6% from the field this season, 5.5 percentage points lower than the 46.1% Dallas allows opponents. Dallas has shot 45.6% from the field this season, 3.7 percentage points above the 41.9% opponents have averaged against Golden State. The teams square off on Wednesday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Burton is averaging 14.2 points and 5.7 assists for the Valkyries. Gabby Williams is averaging 16.0 points over the last 10 games. Shepard is averaging 13.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists for the Wings. Paige Bueckers is averaging 16.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 49.3% over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Valkyries: 6-4, averaging 84.9 points, 32.3 rebounds, 19.0 assists, 7.6 steals, and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 41.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.8 points per game. Wings: 7-3, averaging 87.7 points, 36.6 rebounds, 23.4 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.0 points. INJURIES: Valkyries: Iliana Rupert: out for season (pregnancy). Wings: Odyssey Sims: out (ankle). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. ...read more read less