Ogunbowale set the All-Star scoring record with 34 points and Clark fell just short of the assist mark in her All-Star debut, leading the WNBA team to defeat the U.S. Olympic team 117-109.

It was the second straight victory for the WNBA All-Star team over the Olympians. The All-Stars also won in 2021 under Ogunbowale, who was MVP of both that game and this one.

“This is going to help us a lot. We don’t get that many chances in the game,” said Breanna Stewart, who had 31 points to lead the U.S. “We can go back and watch the film and focus on how we can continue to improve. It was a little bit of a déjà vu feeling, but we just went into it.”

The loss was the only one the Americans suffered in 2021 en route to winning their seventh straight Olympic gold medal. The U.S. will be hoping for a similar result in Paris later this month. No team in the world could match the depth or talent of the WNBA All-Stars.

“Does Arike play for any of the teams we’re going to play against?” asked American coach Cheryl Reeve dryly.

Saturday’s loss came hours after the U.S. men’s Olympic team defeated South Sudan by one point in a practice match in London.

The U.S. women’s team will play a friendly match against Germany in London on Tuesday before traveling to France for the Olympic Games. The Americans are in a pool with Belgium, Japan and Germany.

“We’ve got work to do and we know that,” Reeve said. “Sometimes it’s good, adversity, etc. I don’t think we needed a game like this to get our attention. We know how hard it is to do what we’re trying to do and we’ve got work to do to get there.”

Ogunbowale was once again a thorn in the side of the USA team, scoring all of her points in the second half. The 2021 All-Star MVP took over the game in the third quarter, scoring 21 points, hitting six of her ten shots, including five 3-pointers. The USA team threw everything at the Dallas Wings star, but they just couldn’t stop her.

Ogunbowale said WNBA coach Cheryl Miller told her during halftime to be more aggressive.

“She told me to take a deep breath, go out there and play my game,” she said.

Ogunbowale was in the U.S. national team pool for the past two Olympics, but failed to make the cut both times. She pulled her name from the pool early this time, saying the entire process was political.

By the time Ogunbowale finished in the third quarter, the WNBA All-Stars had turned a two-point halftime deficit into an 88-79 lead, breaking Jewell Loyd’s all-time All-Star scoring record of 31 from last year with a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.

The Olympians, who had only been training together for two days, never really posed a threat.

There was so much hype and energy surrounding this All-Star Game with the debut of phenomenal rookies Clark and Reese. The duo has taken the WNBA to new heights this season with record attendance and television ratings.

It was the first time the young stars played together. One of Clark’s 10 assists came from Reese, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

“We knew after our little 30-minute practice yesterday that we were going to win,” Reese said. “The tone was set.”

Clark finished one assist shy of Sue Bird’s Al-Star record.

“That’s Sue’s record. You can’t take that away from her, that’s my homey,” Clark said.

The race was held in Phoenix to celebrate the 20-year career of Mercury star Diana Taurasi and the return of Brittney Griner from her wrongful imprisonment in Russia in 2022.

“This is going to be one of the hardest things to focus on. It’s really coaching the team because of what’s happening,” Reeve said. “It’s one of the greatest spectacles, I think, in the history of our league.”

While Clark and Reese received a loud round of applause from the crowd during pre-game introductions, nothing could match the applause for Taurasi, who was playing in her 11th All-Star Game.

She started the scoring with a 3-pointer from the wing in the back-and-forth first half, giving the U.S. a slim 54-52 lead. It didn’t take long, as the WNBA team scored nine of the first 11 points in the third quarter to take control.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball