The Dallas Wings won the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft for the second straight year. The franchise had the best lottery odds and cashed in again, strengthening a young core that already includes 2024 No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. ESPN revealed the results during a 30-minute Lottery Special. It’s the 14th straight year the network has aired the event. The drawing followed the exact order of teams’ odds, only the fifth time that’s happened in league history (previous: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2018).
Lottery odds are based on each team’s combined 2024–25 record; Dallas was guaranteed a top-3 pick.
Multiple picks were impacted by prior trades and swaps involving Chicago, Minnesota, L.A., Phoenix, and Connecticut.
Ernst & Young oversaw the drawing.
Notes from the League on the Lottery Draft
Chicago and Minnesota extinguished Minnesota’s right to swap its own first round pick for Chicago’s own first round pick and Chicago has traded its own first round pick to Minnesota (Sika Koné, Nikolina Milić, 4/14/24), (Draft picks, 4/13/25)
Los Angeles had traded its own first round pick to Seattle (Kia Nurse, 1/31/24)
Phoenix had traded its own first round pick to Chicago (Kahleah Copper, Morgan Bertsch, Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, 2/6/24) and Chicago had swapped Phoenix’s first round pick for Connecticut’s own first round pick (Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, 7/17/24)
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford’s mix of veterans and underclassmen delivered a commanding performance Sunday afternoon, rolling to a 90–55 win over Cal Poly (1-1) at Maples Pavilion. Utilizing a balanced offensive attack that saw five players score in double figures and a suffocating first-half defense, the Cardinal led wire-to-wire after the opening minute.
With depth and size proved overwhelming. The Cardinal dominated the glass, outrebounding Cal Poly 39-26, and owned the interior with a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint. The home team shot 51% from the field compared to 39% by Cal Poly. Stanford (3-0) also capitalized defensively, forcing 21 turnovers and converting them into 25 points.
Balanced Attack
Junior forward Nunu Agara led her team with 16 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Lara Somfai recorded her third straight double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, plus three steals. Freshman Hailee Swain added 12 points, Chloe Clardy scored 14, and Courtney Ogden chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
Head coach Kate Paye praised Ogden’s all-around play. “I was really, really excited about the way Courtney Ogden played,” Paye said. “She came out with a very aggressive mindset, got herself going on the glass, rebounding, playing great defense, and from there, her offense just flowed.”
Agara’s steadiness in the post continued to anchor the Cardinal frontcourt. “I think it was just more just taking balanced shots,” she said of her efficient 6-of-10 shooting performance.. “I feel like a lot of my shots in the past few games were just off balance and kind of just rushed shots.” Paye added, “Nunu with 16 and 7 rebounds, led us in offensive rebounding with five again, perfect from the line.”
Early Dominance
Stanford built a 28–13 first-quarter lead behind 65 percent shooting and extended it to 52–21 at halftime with a 24–8 rebounding edge.
Cal Poly’s Vanessa McManus kept the Mustangs competitive with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 3-for-5 from deep. Paye credited her effort, saying, “She was fantastic, and we were working really hard on her. Believe me, we will be studying that tape. We tried to make a lot of kind of adjustments. Even at halftime, we talked about her.”
Depth on Display
Stanford’s depth sealed the win late, with the bench contributing 30 points, highlighted by freshman Carly Amborn, who went 2-for-2 from three in the fourth quarter. Ogden praised Amborn’s readiness coming off the bench late in the game: “I want to give a shout out to Carly, because she came in two for two, basically unconscious from the three point line. So super proud of her.”
Up Next
Stanford now heads north to play at Washington State on Nov. 14. (4 p.m. PT, ESPN+). Cal Poly also heads to the Pacific Northwest to play at Seattle University on Nov. 15 (1 p.m. PT)
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford opened the season with a dominant 87–40 win over UNC Greensboro on Monday night at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal relied on depth, efficient shooting, and interior dominance to take full control from the opening tip. A trio of freshmen were among the Stanford quintet who scored in double digits.
Defense sets the tone
The Cardinal held UNCG to just 25.9 percent shooting and limited the Spartans to single-digit scoring in two of four quarters. Junior guard Jeni Levine scored 18 of UNCG’s 42 points, but no other Spartan reached double figures.
“I’m very excited about what I saw tonight,” Stanford head coach Kate Paye said. “We start with our defense first — holding them to 42 points is pretty good. Number one [Levine] kind of went off, so that’s something we can study.”
Somfai, bench power Cardinal offense
Freshman forward Lara Somfai led all Stanford scorers with 15 points and eight rebounds, going 6-of-12 from the floor in a strong collegiate debut. The Cardinal bench produced 42 points, with freshman forward Alexandra Eschmeyer contributing 13, and guards, freshman Hailee Swain and junior Chloe Clardy, adding 12 each.
Paye praised the poise of the freshman group while crediting the program’s leadership structure: “What our freshmen are able to do right now is because they’re getting great mentorship and leadership from our upper class players who are really taking them under their wings.”
She also described Swain as a “speedster” who “gets to the basket.”
Stevenson, Agara lead the effort on the glass
Stanford controlled the boards 44–23, led by junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson, who grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
“Coming off the bench, leading us in rebounding with 10 boards — that is awesome,” Paye said. “She’s improved a lot and is a tremendous leader and a captain for our team.”
Junior forward Nunu Agara added 10 points and six rebounds, helping Stanford dominate the paint with a 44–12 edge in interior scoring.
Lepolo returns to starting role
Senior point guard Talana Lepolo, who missed most of last season due to injury, returned to the starting lineup and added four points, four assists, and two rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
“Talana is a very smart player. She’s very competitive. She’s a great defender. She knows our system,” Paye said. “She can organize the floor, she can orchestrate things, and she helps people look good.”
Levine paces UNCG
For UNC Greensboro, graduate guard Jeni Levine was the primary offensive weapon, leading all scorers with 18 points. Levine was aggressive, attempting 21 field goals, but the rest of the Spartans struggled to find a rhythm. Freshman guard Leyla Minor was the only other UNCG player in double figures, adding 11 points off the bench.
Quick turnaround ahead
Stanford (1–0) continues a 7-day tight home schedule, beginning with Santa Clara on Thursday and Cal Poly on Sunday.
“We know things are going to come quickly,” Paye said. “So we’ve got to learn from this and turn around and get ready for Santa Clara.”
UNC Greensboro (0–1) continues its West Coast road trip as it looks to regroup after the season-opening loss when it faces San Francisco on Wednesday.
