Tuesday was a good day to be Paige Bueckers.
The Wings rookie was greeted on the road with a raucous ovation. She then led Dallas to a 109-87 win over the Connecticut Sun.
The win was the first of the season for Dallas and the first of Bueckers’ WNBA career since she joined the Wings as the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. She sparked the Dallas victory while posting a career-high 21 points alongside 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. She shot 8 for 10 from the field in what was easily the best game of her burgeoning pro career.
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Bueckers’ day at work started with a warm greeting from the fans at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, the site of UConn’s Big East tournament championship run just two months earlier.
Bueckers played a legendary college career at UConn that featured three All-America selections and National Player of the Year honors that she capped with a national championship in April. When she took the court Tuesday night, she heard the love from the opposing crowd.
Once the ball was tipped, Bueckers proceeded to assist on the first three Dallas buckets of the night. She then hit back-to-back jumpers to spot the Wings an 11-5 lead as she scored or assisted on each of Dallas’ first five field goals. By halftime, she had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and the Wings were in control with a 56-42 lead.
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They didn’t slow down after halftime. Dallas maintained control of the game after the break.
Bueckers turned defense into offense midway through the third quarter with a block on one end that led to her own layup on the other.
Minutes later, she matched her previous career-high 19 points with a contested pull-up jumper to beat the shot clock. Another jumper moments later pushed Bueckers to 21 for the first 20-plus point effort of her brief WNBA career.
Bueckers didn’t score again, but she didn’t need to as the Wings opened things up in the fourth quarter en route to the 22-point victory. Arike Ogunbowale (19 points, 4 assists, 6 steals) and DiJonai Carrington (16 points, 3 rebounds) joined Bueckers in double figures from the Dallas starting lineup. Tina Charles led the Sun with 27 points and 6 rebounds in the losing effort.
With the win, the Wings improved to 1-4 while sending the Sun to a WNBA-worst 0-5 start. The Wings have back-to-back upcoming games against Angel Reese and the 0-3 Chicago Sky as they seek to add to their win tally.
