SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The 2025 WNBA season is just around the corner, and the exhibition contests for the league will start at Purcell Pavilion. The game will air on ION, becoming the first nationally televised WNBA preseason game ever.
On Friday, Notre Dame will host the WNBA’s first preseason contest between the Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces, a matchup that will bring three former Irish greats back to their collegiate stomping grounds: Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
Loyd is new to the Aces organization after spending 10 years with the Seattle Storm. A six-time All-Star, two-time WNBA champion and the league’s scoring leader in 2023, Loyd averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season. She won a gold medal with Team USA last summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Loyd will share the bench for the first time with fellow Irish guard Jackie Young on Friday, as the duo teams up in search of the Aces’ third WNBA title in four years. Young has played a critical role for the group since she was selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft. The three-time All-Star averaged 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, with the latter two statistics having been career highs. One of the most consistent shooters in the league, Young has a career field goal percentage of 46.5 and a career 38.6 percent success rate from behind the arc. She also won a gold medal last summer in Paris.
On the other side of the court, Ogunbowale will look to build one of her best individual seasons to date this year. Last season, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft averaged 22.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. She was named the MVP of the WNBA All-Star Game for the second time in four years as well.
Friday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. In addition to airing on ION, it will be available for free on the WNBA League Pass app.