Arike Ogunbowale follows coach’s advice, dominates second half and wins WNBA All-Star Game MVP

“I didn’t expect her to call my name — she was talking to the team, but she was pointing at me,” Ogunbowale said. “She just told me to take a deep breath and play my game.”

Ogunbowale certainly did.

During her match against the US Olympic team, Ogunwobale had to outplay her teammates in the first half and missed her two shots.

After halftime, after a chat with her Hall of Fame coach, the 5-foot-10 guard emerged as the tallest player on the court, scoring with step-back 3-pointers and lane runners.

Ogunbowale hit 6 of 10 shots in the third quarter, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. She kept scoring as Team WNBA turned Team USA’s final domestic warmup before the Paris Olympics into a 117-109 loss. She hit eight 3-pointers and finished 10 of 20 from the floor with six assists to become the third two-time MVP in WNBA All-Star Game history.

“She was just in the zone and they played really good defense a lot of times,” said Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, a player known for hitting hitters during her career at Iowa. “There’s just nothing you can do in those situations where she’s making step-back 3s, one-legged floaters, stuff like that. You, you literally can’t guard her.”

Ogunbowale has shown a knack for making big scores throughout her career, starting in college, when she scored game-winning shots in the Final Four and the national championship game during Notre Dame’s 2018 title run.

Ogunbowale has been one of the WNBA’s leading scorers during five seasons with the Dallas Wings, averaging 22.3 points per game this season. She was the All-Star Game MVP the last time Team USA played Team WNBA in an Olympic warmup, scoring 26 points.

“It’s just a testament to my hard work,” Ogunbowale said. “Regardless of win, loss or draw, I’m just going to play my game and that’s what I did for Dallas. It’s good to get a win even if it doesn’t count.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball