The Dallas Wings were already without two key players in their showdown with the Indiana Fever on Thursday. To make matters worse, one member of the team got in trouble with game officials earlier in the contest.
Dallas entered the game against the Fever without Azzi Fudd and Aziaha James. Fudd has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to her lingering knee injury, while James is dealing with a lower left leg issue.
While the Wings still have star players Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale to lead them, things didn’t start off great for them. In fact, Ogunbowale received a technical foul in the first quarter of the game.
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With 2:21 remaining in the opening quarter, Ogunbowale was called for a foul on Fever star Kelsey Mitchell. She was not happy with the call and complained to the referee, prompting the official to assess her a technical foul.
Caitlin Clark took the ensuing technical free throw but missed, while Mitchell shot two free throws as a result of Ogunbowale’s personal foul and made both freebies.
It was Ogunbowale’s second tech of the season, which puts her in line to pay a $500 fine to the WNBA.
According to the league’s rules, the first three technical fouls of a player each carry a $500 fine. The fourth through seventh techs, meanwhile, come with a $1,000 fine. Once a player reaches eight techs, they receive a $1,500 fine and a one-game suspension.
It remains to be seen if Ogunbowale and the Wings will appeal the call, especially since many fans were calling it a “weak” and “soft” call. For what it’s worth, the Wings star already had one tech rescinded earlier in the season.
