DHJ Quick Take: Bueckers, Fudd’s Return to Connecticut ‘Felt Like a Home Game’
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd returned to the state that made them UConn legends and got a reception that made a true road game feel like a home game as the Dallas Wings rallied past the Connecticut Sun, 86-83, on Thursday in Hartford.
- What made the atmosphere different? A near-sellout crowd of 14,578 packed PeoplesBank Arena in UConn gear, many of them rooting for the Wings alongside Connecticut alums.
- Why does it matter? The Sun are relocating to Houston after this season, meaning Thursday may have been the last time Bueckers and Fudd play in the state that built their legend.
- What did Bueckers say about it? She called the environment great and floated the idea of an exhibition game at Gampel Pavilion to make sure it isn’t her last trip back.
- What’s next? Dallas (13-8) visits the Toronto Tempo on Sunday, July 5.
HARTFORD, Conn. — Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd built their legend in this state. On Thursday, they got a reminder of just how much of it still belongs to them.
The two former UConn stars returned to Connecticut wearing Dallas Wings jerseys and found a crowd that treated the visit like a homecoming. A near-sellout 14,578 packed PeoplesBank Arena, plenty of them dressed in UConn blue, as the Wings rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Connecticut Sun, 86-83.
“It was a great crowd, it was a great environment,” Bueckers said. “It felt like a home game in a sense. There were a lot of people rooting for the Wings and for Connecticut alums, so the environment was great. It was just fun to play back here in Connecticut. I love everything about it.”
A Possible Last Trip Back
The game carried extra weight given the Sun’s looming move. Connecticut’s sale to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is finalized, and the franchise will relocate after this season, ending a run in the state that dates to 2003. That leaves Thursday as a possible final appearance for Bueckers and Fudd on Connecticut soil in a Wings uniform.
Bueckers isn’t ready to call it that.
“It could not be my last. I try to think about it that way. I don’t know, maybe we can have an exhibition-type game at Gampel on-campus. Just throwing that in the air, maybe for next year,” she said.
“The support throughout the entire five years, and I know it’s going to continue for the rest of my life. This whole state supports us, backs us and loves women’s basketball. We’ll forever be grateful, forever indebted, and this will always be a second home,” she added.
Fudd echoed the sentiment.
“The five years that we both had there, they showed up every single night,” Fudd said. “It just was such an incredible experience.”
Sisters Across the Court
Two former UConn teammates were on the other bench. Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa combined for 20 points for Connecticut, and Bueckers made sure to credit them even in defeat.
“Those are our sisters. That’s family,” Bueckers said. “We’re competing against each other tonight, so we both wanted to win and go to war that way. But at the end of the day it’s always love. It’s always a sisterhood.”
Alanna Smith, who signed with Dallas as a free agent this offseason, said she has come to understand why a crowd like Thursday’s shows up the way it does.
“You’ve got two of the most humble superstars sitting up here right now,” Smith said. “They don’t see themselves as better than anyone else, which is amazing because they have so much magnitude, especially in a place like this where it felt like a home game. I’m just happy to be along for the ride with these two.”
Dallas (13-8) travels to face the Toronto Tempo on Sunday.
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