Arike Ogunbowale Broke The All-Star Scoring Record To Lead Team WNBA To A Win Over Team USA

Every four years, the WNBA All-Star break also serves as a first tune-up for the USA Basketball women’s squad prior to the Olympics, as the league plays Team WNBA vs. Team USA in a rather incredible matchup that brings some added juice to what is typically an exhibition atmosphere. Many of the players on Team WNBA feel they belong on the Olympic squad, and the All-Star game provides an opportunity to prove a point, even if only for a night.

Entering the game, much of the spotlight was on the star rookies, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who would go from budding rivals to teammates, with both getting on the board in the first half and connected on a much-awaited bucket in the fourth.

Clark finished with just four points, but dished out 10 asssits, while Reese continued her double-double streak with 11 points and 11 rebounds. However, for all the talk about the youngsters this season, it was the vets that put on the show. Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 31 points and 10 rebounds, as she and A’ja Wilson (22 points) led the way for the Olympic-bound squad.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the first half, with Team USA taking a two-point advantage into the halftime break, where the Phoenix crowd was treated to a performance by Pitbull. Inspired by Mr. Worldwide, Arike Ogunbowale came out in the third quarter like a Fireball, hitting 5-of-7 from three-point range and pushing Team WNBA in front by nine going to the fourth quarter.

Her heater continued in the fourth quarter, as she buried tough shot after tough shot no matter how many defenders the US squad sent at her.

After going scoreless in the first half, Ogunbowale lit up Team USA in the second half, going 8-for-12 from deep en route to 34 points and six assists, earning the game’s MVP honors and breaking Jewell Loyd’s All-Star scoring record that lasted all of one year. She was aided by Nneka Ogwumike, who got hot in the first half and finished with 14 points, while Allisha Gray (16 points) and Kelsey Mitchell (13 points) had big nights off the bench. For Team USA, they got 14 points from Diana Taurasi, but otherwise had backcourt struggles and will need to figure out how to get more floor balance alongside their dominant bigs as they get ready to go to Paris — with the understanding Team WNBA is the best team they’ll face this summer.

While much of the snub talk this year was about Clark, Ogunbowale and Ogwumike have their own histories with USA Basketball and feeling left out from the proceedings. It’s not often you can get that kind of juice for an All-Star game, but the added motivation of facing a team that you feel like you belong on provides that, and the 2024 edition was a tremendous example of what All-Star Games can be when everyone is locked in.