WNBA record recap: Breaking down 2019 records and milestones reached

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 8: Elena Delle Donne #11 of the Washington Mystics speaks with the media after the game against the Chicago Sky on September 8, 2019 at the St Elizabeths East Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 8: Elena Delle Donne #11 of the Washington Mystics speaks with the media after the game against the Chicago Sky on September 8, 2019 at the St Elizabeths East Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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UNCASVILLE, CT – MAY 13: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of The Dallas Wings and Kayla Thornton #6 of The Dallas Wings high-five prior to a game against the Atlanta Dream on May 13, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT – MAY 13: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of The Dallas Wings and Kayla Thornton #6 of The Dallas Wings high-five prior to a game against the Atlanta Dream on May 13, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Dallas Wings

Without their star point guard in Skylar Diggins-Smith and with a shifting roster under new head coach Brian Agler, the Wings went through a rebuilding season that centered around their star rookie, Arike Ogunbowale.

In the history of the franchise (dating back to its days as the Tulsa Shock and Detroit Shock), Arike set several new records herself:

  • She set a Wings rookie record with 22 two-pointers attempted on August 29 against the Sky.
  • She also had 28 total field goal attempts on August 29, also a rookie single-game record for the Wings.
  • She also set a record in three-point attempts with 14 against the Aces on June 22. She also now has the second-highest total with 13 against New York on June 28.

And her Wings rookie records for a season illustrate her scoring prowess:

  • She had 630 total points, besting Odyssey Sims’ 569 points in 2014. Her rookie total is third-best in the WNBA’s history for any rookie.
  • Her 19.1 points per game is also a Wings rookie record. (Odyssey had 16.7 per game in 2014.)
  • Arike tied Swin Cash with 28 games with 10 or more points.
  • She had 21 games with 15 or more points, one better than Odyssey in 2014.
  • She had 18 games with 20 or more points. (Odyssey had 12.)
  • She had eight games with 25 or more points. (5 for Odyssey.)
  • She had five games with 30 or more points. (Odyssey, 4) Four of those came in consecutive games from August 29 to September 6, tying Maya Moore’s WNBA-record four-game streak to open the 2014 season. Five 30-point games for Arike is second in WNBA rookie history, behind only Seimone Augustus (6) in 2006.

In terms of individual Wings records, Kayla Thornton made 54 of 58 total free throws in 2019, establishing a new Wings record with a free throw percentage of 93.1%. The previous franchise record was Sandy Brondello’s 92.3% in 1998.

As far as individual milestones go, several Wings players saw big career numbers this year:

  • Allisha Gray, Imani McGee-Stafford, and Thornton each played their 100th games.
  • Gray also scored her 1,000th point and nabbed her 100th career steal.
  • Glory Johnson eclipsed 1,500 rebounds and 100 blocks.