Wings beat Fever 107-104; 2.49M viewers

The Dallas Wings’ 107-104 win over the Indiana Fever on May 9 did two things at once: it opened the WNBA season with a tight, nationally televised finish, and it delivered one of the biggest regular-season TV audiences the league has drawn on ESPN platforms. ABC’s telecast of the game averaged 2.5 million viewers, ESPN said, putting the Clark-Bueckers matchup second on the company’s list of most-watched WNBA regular-season games. Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points and Paige Bueckers added 20 for Dallas, while Caitlin Clark missed a deep 3-pointer that would have tied the game in the closing seconds, according to ESPN’s game recap. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 30 points in the loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. ### How big was the audience for this game? (espn.com) ESPN said on May 13 that the Wings-Fever game averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The company said that made it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game ever across ESPN networks. (espn.com) ESPN also said the game ranked as the third most-watched WNBA game overall — regular season or postseason — across its networks, trailing only Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever on ABC in 2025 and Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun playoff Game 2 on ESPN in September 2024. (espnpressroom.com) ### Why did this opener draw so much attention? Saturday’s game put Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers on the same court in a season opener carried by ABC, one of the league’s highest-reach broadcast windows. USA Today said the matchup also featured the four most recent No. 1 overall WNBA draft picks: Aliyah Boston, Clark, Bueckers and Dallas forward Aziaha James. (espnpressroom.com) ABC’s broader opening-weekend window also drew strong numbers. ESPN said its Saturday opening-weekend doubleheader averaged 1.9 million viewers, the second most-watched WNBA opening weekend across ESPN networks, and that “WNBA Countdown” before the game averaged 956,000 viewers. (usatoday.com) ### What happened on the floor in Indianapolis? Dallas shot 59% from the field and 52% from 3-point range, according to ESPN’s box score. Indiana shot 52% overall but made 29% of its 3-point attempts. Paige Bueckers finished with 20 points in 32 minutes, and Jessica Shepard had nine rebounds and nine assists for Dallas, the ESPN box score showed. (espnpressroom.com) Ogunbowale’s 22 points led the Wings, who improved to 1-0 with the road win. Kelsey Mitchell’s 30 points led Indiana, while Clark had seven assists and five turnovers. (espn.com) ESPN’s recap said Clark’s late miss from deep ended the Fever’s last chance to force overtime. ### Where does this game rank in the recent WNBA ratings run? The 2.5 million average left the game behind only Sky-Fever on opening weekend in 2025 among regular-season WNBA games on ESPN networks, ESPN said. (espn.com) That earlier game averaged 2.7 million viewers, according to the same ESPN release. USA Today separately described the May 9 audience as about 2.5 million viewers, matching ESPN’s rounded figure and underscoring how close the game came to last year’s benchmark. ### What comes next for the Fever and Wings? Indiana’s schedule listed a road game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 13, followed by a home game against Washington on May 15. (espnpressroom.com) Dallas’ schedule listed a home game against Minnesota on May 14 and another home game against Washington on May 18. (espn.com) (usatoday.com)