CNN
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Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale set a new WNBA All-Star Game record with 34 points, while Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese set rookie records in helping the WNBA to a 117-109 victory over Team USA on Saturday in Phoenix.
Ogunbowale’s 34 points came in the second half, including 21 in the third quarter, as the WNBA team overturned a four-point halftime deficit to defeat Team USA as it prepares for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Ogunbowale’s scoring exploits earned her a second All-Star MVP award in front of 16,407 fans at the Footprint Center.
“Coach (Cheryl Miller) called me out at halftime in front of everybody and told me to take a deep breath and play my game,” the 27-year-old said after the game. “I guess you saw what happened.”
Ogunbowale is the fourth player in league history to win multiple All-Star trophies.
Meanwhile, Chicago Sky rookies forward Reese and Indiana Fever guard Clark played on the same team for the first time and both had historic games in their All-Star debuts.
Reese, who already set a WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles this season, became the first rookie to record a double-double in an All-Star Game after finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Clark scored four points and also set an All-Star record for a rookie with 10 assists, including one to Reese, to finish just one assist shy of Sue Bird’s overall All-Star record.
“It was a lot of fun, we came out here and we came out with a lot of drive,” Clark told reporters after the game. “We knew they were going to want to win, so we came out with the same mindset… We started the third quarter really strong and that set the tone.”
Clark was not named to the Olympic roster, a decision that was initially met with surprise, but she told reporters there was “a lot of talent on this team.”
“I think it was the same thing four years ago, the WNBA team beat Team USA and they did really well in the Olympics,” she added. “It shows how good this league is, how much talent it has… I’m going to support them and cheer them on, I love the Olympics… they’re going to win gold and dominate.”
Six-time All-Star and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while six-time All-Star and Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson added 22 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The United States will next face Germany in an exhibition match in London on Tuesday before heading to France for the Summer Olympics, where the team is seeking an eighth consecutive gold medal.
The WNBA will resume its regular season after the Olympics on August 15.