The WNBA All-Star game was supposed to be a warm-up for Team USA as they head to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But the seasoned veterans were upset by Team WNBA 117-109 on Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona. At one point the All-Stars led the Olympians by 20 points.
Arike Ogunbowale, 27, scored a record-breaking 34 points — all in the second half — to secure the victory and earn the MVP trophy. She also won MVP in 2021.
With Team WNBA trailing by 2 points in the second half, coach Cheryl Miller called Arike off the bench.
“I wasn’t expecting her to say my name,” Arike said. “She just told me to take a deep breath and play my game.”
Arike scored 21 points in the third quarter — the most in a single quarter in WNBA All-Star Game history. She added 13 more points in the 4th quarter to lead Team WNBA to the upset victory.
Arike (left) celebrates with Caitlin Clark, Allisha Gray, and Aliyah Boston (far right).
Team WNBA exposed Team USA’s weaknesses and humiliated Team USA’s head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Reeve’s Olympians aggressively defended Caitlin throughout the game. But her strategy left Team WNBA’s sharp-shooters wide open at the 3-point line.
Caitlin Clark is fired up after battling through Kelsey Plum’s aggressive defense ? pic.twitter.com/fMLWJDxriz
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 21, 2024
Caitlin, 22, finished with 4 points and 10 assists.
After the game, Reeve said she did not second-guess her decision to leave Caitlin off the Olympic roster.
Her hostility toward Caitlin is apparent even to fans who are new to the WNBA.
Angel Reese, 22, collected a few of Caitlin’s laser passes. Angel finished with the second double-double in WNBA All-Star history.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for ?
The arena goes wild after Caitlin Clark dimes Angel Reese for the bucket @ATT #WNBAAllStar | ABC pic.twitter.com/QSMuYOw3bP
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 21, 2024
