UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Paige Bueckers returned to a well-recognized place to get the primary win of her WNBA profession.
The No. 1 choose within the draft by the Dallas Wings had misplaced her first 4 video games as a professional and could not keep in mind an extended shedding streak in her storied basketball profession. She would not let it get to 5.
Bueckers scored a season-best 21 factors within the Wings’ 109-87 victory over Connecticut on Tuesday night time.
“Felt nice simply to play like that as a crew and clearly that setting is particular to me,” the previous UConn star mentioned. “To play like that as a crew and put a full 40 minutes collectively. … It felt good to be on the market.”
It has been every week of homecomings for Bueckers as she performed within the state of Connecticut for the primary time since serving to the Huskies win the varsity’s twelfth nationwide championship almost two months in the past. Six days earlier than the sport in Connecticut, she performed in Minnesota, the place she grew up.
With the victory, Bueckers remained unbeaten at Mohegan Solar Enviornment, the place the Solar play their residence video games. She went 15-0 on the enviornment, together with profitable 4 Huge East championships whereas enjoying for UConn.
“I do not assume I ever misplaced right here. I used to be making an attempt to hold that into tonight,” Bueckers mentioned.
Tuesday night time was like a house sport for Bueckers, who acquired a loud ovation from the sellout crowd throughout participant introductions. Many followers have been sporting her No. 5 jersey from UConn or Dallas, cheering every little thing she did. The St. Teresa’s basketball crew was sitting on the bench pregame and screamed with jubilation when Bueckers ran onto the court docket.
Bueckers gave them and the remainder of the gang — which included a couple of of her former Huskies teammates — lots to cheer about. She bought Dallas (1-4) going early with seven factors and 4 assists within the opening quarter as she was aggressively attacking for baskets or discovering opening teammates. She completed the half with 15 factors because the Wings took management, going up by 14 factors on the break.
“She simply continues to do issues that needs to be shocking however aren’t,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes mentioned. “I take a step again to only recognize the kind of participant and much more so the kind of individual that she is.”
A day earlier, Bueckers posted on Instagram a video of a shock assembly that Verizon put collectively of people that had benefitted from a meals safety venture that the guard began in Minnesota in 2022. As Chegg’s first student-athlete model ambassador, Bueckers labored to boost consciousness about pupil starvation, a difficulty that had worsened because of the pandemic.
“It was a complete, full shock only for them to usher in these individuals who have been part of my story and been part of my journey,” Bueckers mentioned. “It means a lot to present again, to see the impression firsthand. It is really inspiring. I used to be extraordinarily grateful for that.”
Koclanes has been impressed with Bueckers’ psychological strategy to the sport on and off the court docket and the way a lot she invests into it.
“She needs to essentially be an important chief and is committing time into creating these abilities to assist this tradition and her teammates as a rookie.” he mentioned. “In order that’s been actually spectacular on the ground. I feel you’re taking as a right among the issues she’s capable of do. However extraordinarily excessive IQ, she’s picked up, you realize, ideas and reads, very early. After which it is simply, you realize, she’ll adapt to the physicality.”
Dallas returns on June 20 to play at Connecticut for a second and closing time this season.
