The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game lived up to expectations, as Team WNBA and Team USA both brought the intensity to Phoenix on Saturday. After an extremely competitive opening 20 minutes, Team WNBA pulled away in the second half to secure an upset win, 117-109. Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale was named MVP after setting an All-Star scoring record with 34 points.

Caitlin Clark stats tonight: What top pick did in WNBA All Star Game

Prior to the game, Team WNBA coach Cheryl Miller said her players wanted to “beat the brakes” off Team USA, and they did just that in the second half. Ogunbowale, who also won MVP the last time the league used this format for the All-Star Game, scored all 34 of her points after the break, and credited the turnaround to a pep talk from her Hall of Fame coach.

Rookie sensations Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese also lived up to the hype in their first game together as teammates. Clark set the rookie assist record for an All-Star Game with 10, while Reese registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Overall, Team WNBA shot 50% from the field and 11 of the 12 players scored.

As expected, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson led the way for Team USA. That duo combined for 53 points, 16 rebounds and six assists on 18-of-34 from the field. While the Americans had no problem scoring, they turned the ball over 14 times and could not stop Team WNBA on the other end. The good news is that Team WNBA is the best competition they’ll face this summer, and they remain heavy favorites to win the gold medal in Paris.

Here are some key takeaways from Saturday night’s action.

Ogunbowale puts on a second-half show

Arike Ogunbowale has a scoring title to her name and ended the pre-Olympic portion of the WNBA schedule as the league’s third-leading scorer at 22.3 points per game. But in the first half of the All-Star Game, she did not have a single point.

That’s when Miller, who was coaching Team USA, stepped in with a simple message that helped Ogunbowale reset. Miller told her to “take a deep breath,” settle down and play her game. Ogunbowale came out of the locker room in inspired form, scoring Team WNBA’s first three baskets of the second half. She went on to pour in 21 points in the third and all 34 of her record-setting total in the second half.

With her 34-point effort, Ogunbowale surpassed Jewell Loyd for the All-Star Game scoring record and earned her second All-Star MVP award. She is the fourth player to win that award multiple times, joining Lisa Leslie (three), Maya Moore (three) and Swin Cash (two).

Notably, Ogunbowale’s previous All-Star MVP came in 2021, the last time the league used the Team USA vs. Team WNBA format. She admitted in an interview earlier this summer that she removed herself from the national team pool because of “politics.”