Jessica Shepard did not need a soft landing in the regular-season finale. She needed another triple-double - and she got the sixth of a season that already leads the WNBA.
The Associated Press reported that Shepard finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Dallas Wings beat the Seattle Storm 103-91 on Wednesday night in Seattle. Paige Bueckers scored 25 with seven assists, Arike Ogunbowale added 23 points and six assists, and Dallas closed both teams' regular seasons at 27-16 after a 10-win year in 2025.
Six triple-doubles, one more on the last night
Shepard's line checked every box the AP used to lead the wire: points, rebounds, assists, and the league lead in triple-doubles. Twelve assists on a finale night meant she was the primary connector while Bueckers and Ogunbowale finished plays. Eleven boards kept her involved on the glass in a game Dallas controlled for long stretches and then had to re-claim.
Seattle cut a 90-71 Dallas lead to 94-88 with a 17-4 fourth-quarter run. Awak Kuier and Bueckers hit threes on the next two Wings possessions to pull away again. Shepard's triple-double was already in the books by then; the stoppage of Seattle's surge was the team answer that protected it.
Dominique Malonga paced the Storm (8-36) with 29 points and eight rebounds. Awa Fam scored a season-high 22, Flau'jae Johnson had 21, and Natisha Hiedeman posted 10 points and 14 assists. Seattle's assist total from Hiedeman underlined how much creation the Storm could generate even in an 8-36 season - and how Shepard still outpaced that volume on the other side of the ball.
Turnaround, seed, and a first sweep of the Storm
Dallas won seven of its last eight, with the lone loss coming Monday after a 14-point lead disappeared. The Wings improved by 17 wins from last season, which the AP described as a WNBA record for the best single-season turnaround. Atlanta's win over New York earlier Wednesday locked Dallas into the No. 7 playoff seed.
