‘She’s Just Different’: Paige Bueckers Powers Dallas Wings Past Connecticut Sun 86-83 In Hartford

HARTFORD, Conn. — Paige Bueckers scored 25 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists, and Jessica Shepard added 14 points as the Dallas Wings rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Connecticut Sun 86-83 on Thursday night.

The game featured four ties and four lead changes, and Dallas trailed by as many as 14 points before leading for a total of just 3 minutes, 58 seconds down the stretch.

Bueckers scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-4 from the field. Trailing 76-75 with 2:15 left, she converted an and-one to pull Dallas within one. Li Yueru’s three-pointer out of the corner, set up when Brittney Griner helped off her, tied the score, and Bueckers followed with a second and-one to put Dallas ahead 81-78, its first lead since it was up 16-15 early in the game. Aaliyah Edwards answered with a three-point play of her own to tie it at 81-81 with 1:07 left.

Azzi Fudd scored on a designed sideline out-of-bounds play to put Dallas back in front, but Edwards tied it again with a driving layup to make it 83-83 with 38 seconds to go. Bueckers was fouled on the ensuing possession and made one of two free throws to put Dallas ahead 84-83 with 25 seconds left.

Connecticut guard Leïla Lacan dribbled down the clock before driving into the lane for a shot that rolled off the rim. Shepard secured the defensive rebound and made both free throws to put Dallas ahead 86-83 with 2.9 seconds left. Connecticut did not get off a 3-point attempt before the buzzer.

The game was played in Hartford instead of the Sun’s usual home and drew an announced crowd of 14,578 at PeoplesBank Arena, many of them there to see Bueckers and Fudd, the former UConn stars taken with the No. 1 overall pick by Dallas in each of the past two WNBA drafts. Alanna Smith added a season-high 11 points and 3 rebounds off the bench, including a season-high 2 made 3-pointers, for Dallas (12-8). Lacan led Connecticut with 18 points and 5 assists, Griner posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 14 points for the Sun (4-16).

Arike Ogunbowale opened the scoring with a 3-pointer as part of an early 6-0 run and hit her third three of the night in the fourth quarter, moving into sole possession of 14th on the WNBA’s all-time made 3-pointers list, passing Kara Lawson. She started alongside Bueckers, Fudd, Awak Kuier and Shepard for the seventh straight game.

Dallas shot 48.5% (33-of-68) from the field, including 34.6% (9-of-26) from 3-point range, while Connecticut shot 45.3% (29-of-64) and 33.3% (3-of-9) from deep. The Wings also won the free-throw battle by volume, going 11-of-16 (68.8%) to Connecticut’s 22-of-35 (62.9%), with the Sun’s 35 attempts marking a season high for a Dallas opponent. Dallas held edges in second-chance points (9-6), fast-break points (7-3) and bench points (29-24), while Connecticut won the battle in the paint, 42-38.

The turnaround was as much about shot-making as anything else. Dallas shot just 33% in the first half and scored only 35 points before the break, then poured in 51 in the second half to close the game out.

Paige Bueckers’ Fourth-Quarter Takeover

Bueckers credited her teammates’ off-ball movement and Dallas’ play-calling for opening up her fourth-quarter looks.

“My teammates did a really good job of screening for me, getting me open off ball screens, getting me open in transition,” she said. “Good play-calling by the coaching staff, and just trying to be aggressive with what the game was calling for.”

She was careful to spread credit beyond her own line.

“So many different people stepped up throughout the entire 40 minutes, and we just played a full game and didn’t quit until the final buzzer,” Bueckers said.

Asked to walk through the two late and-one threes, Bueckers said the first came off a broken inbounds read.

“I think the first one was out of a side out. Lacan jumped the pass on the inbound, so I was just trying to create something,” she said. “Jess made a really good pass, and I obviously felt contact and just kind of threw it up.”

On the second, she said her teammates spaced the floor well and she hunted the shot.

She also reflected on what the moment meant beyond the box score, playing a fourth quarter in front of a crowd that was rooting for both sides.

“Just being able to play this game, be in fourth quarters, be out there with my teammates, and play in front of that crowd and in that environment, and see so much support regardless of who they were cheering for, was just fun,” Bueckers said. “It was great for women’s basketball.”

A 35-Point First Half Turns Into a 51-Point Second

Dallas trailed by as many as 14 points and was shooting just above 30% at the break, but Bueckers said the group never lost trust in its shot selection.

“I think making shots. Sometimes it’s as simple as that,” she said. “We were shooting just above 30% at halftime, but we still felt very confident in the shots we were getting.”

Rather than overhaul the game plan, Bueckers said Dallas leaned into what was already working.

“Another thing was just sticking with what works,” she said. “If we have to run the same play 15 times in a row because we’re getting consistent buckets and good looks, then stay disciplined with it.”

She said more players got involved in the second half, took open shots with confidence and got to the free-throw line more often.

“We work extremely hard, and we have the utmost confidence in each other,” Bueckers said. “Whenever shots aren’t falling, we know the tide is going to turn.”

Jose Fernandez on the Second-Half Defensive Shift

Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said the slow start was about missed shots more than a poor game plan.

“I thought at halftime we were shooting 33%, and we had two starters who hadn’t scored,” he said. “At times, we felt like we were getting good shots, the ball just wasn’t going in.”

He said Dallas fouled too often in the first half, putting Connecticut on the free-throw line, and also missed some of its own crucial free throws, leading to empty possessions.

“Down the stretch, I thought we were really good coming out of timeouts, executing, and finding a way to win on the road,” Fernandez said.

He pointed to a second-half adjustment matching Connecticut’s size as the biggest factor in the win. Dallas initially guarded Griner with Kuier and sent doubles, but Fernandez said Griner read the double-teams well and consistently found open teammates. Center Li Yueru, who checked in late in the third quarter, changed that dynamic.

“She showed a lot of resistance inside and really bothered Griner’s vision,” Fernandez said.

The shift paid off on both ends. When Dallas spread the floor in the fourth quarter, Griner stepped up to help defensively, opening a corner three for Li.

“That corner three was a really big shot for us,” Fernandez said. “So it wasn’t just her defensive presence.”

Fernandez also broke down Dallas’ closing sequence, crediting Bueckers down the stretch, Fudd’s shot off a sideline out-of-bounds play, and Shepard’s defensive rebound on Connecticut’s final possession.

“Up three, we had to get one more stop, and we did,” he said.

Asked about growth in clutch situations across roughly 20 games this season, Fernandez said the difference Thursday was simple.

“We only finished with 33 made field goals and took just 16 free throws, but the difference offensively was that we made shots in the second half,” he said. “More importantly, we got the defensive stops down the stretch that we needed.”

Jose Fernandez on Coaching Paige Bueckers: “She’s Just Different”

Fernandez was asked whether he ever finds himself thinking about the old line from Bueckers’ UConn days, that opponents simply did not have an answer for her. He did not hesitate.

“I would totally agree with that statement,” he said.

He said Bueckers’ pregame routine has become something he expects rather than marvels at, even when it probably should not be routine at all.

“She does things every single day that you’re not surprised by anymore,” Fernandez said. “Before today’s game, she was making half-court shots over and over. I should just come in every game with $100 and hand it to her because she keeps making them. She made three of them today.”

Fernandez said what separates Bueckers is less about shot-making and more about temperament in the biggest moments.

“She’s just different,” he said. “She’s such a competitor and such a winner. She refuses to lose.”

He added that not every player wants the ball with the game on the line.

“Some players don’t want the ball in their hands at the end of games or don’t want to take the big shot,” Fernandez said. “She never shies away from the big moment. That’s everything.”

Alanna Smith, Odyssey Sims Manage Minute Restrictions

Both Smith and guard Odyssey Sims played under minute restrictions Thursday as they continue working back into the rotation. Fernandez said Sims logged 11:50 of her 12-minute allotment and Smith stayed under her 14-minute cap, calling the medical staff’s handling of both players a success. He said Sims’ defensive presence and Smith’s floor-spacing in pick-and-pop and middle pick-and-roll situations were significant factors in the win.

Smith, who finished efficiently in her return, said she is still searching for consistency after an in-and-out season.

“I wouldn’t say I’m in a great rhythm at the moment,” she said. “This whole season I’ve been in and out a little bit, so I haven’t really been able to get into a flow. This is probably one of a few games this season where I’ve felt a little bit like myself.”

Smith, who played without a protective mask, said she prefers not to attribute her performance to the equipment change but acknowledged the benefit.

“I don’t like blaming things on the mask because you want to play through adversity, but it is pretty cool to be able to see,” she said.

Azzi Fudd on Dallas Wings’ League-Leading Comeback Trend

Fudd said Dallas, tied for the league lead in double-digit comeback wins, is drawing real lessons from games like Thursday’s rather than treating them as one-offs.

“Obviously we don’t want to be down going into the third or fourth quarter,” she said. “But I think these games teach us what we’re capable of. If we can play the way that we did in the second half and fourth quarter for an entire game, we’re a pretty good team.”

She called the situation good preparation for the stretch run of the season.

“This is really good preparation for us, to be in situations like this, to have to lock in defensively and offensively, get stops, execute and be on the same page,” Fudd said. “I think we’re learning a lot from it.”

Fudd, who has had scoring swings in her rookie season, made a key late basket Thursday and said her focus stays on the other areas of the game when shots are not falling.

“Just staying aggressive. All my teammates remind me to stay aggressive,” she said. “My shot isn’t going to fall every single night, so my goal is figuring out how I can impact the game in other ways. How can I help my teammates? Rebound, set screens, box out, be reliable on defense.”

She added that scoring is not the only measure she is chasing.

“It’s not all about offense,” Fudd said. “Obviously I’d love to see the ball go in every time I shoot it, but I want to help my teammates any way I can.”

She also praised the atmosphere, which grew louder as the fourth quarter wore on.

“The crowd tonight was amazing,” Fudd said. “To hear it get louder at the end, to hear them cheering for both teams and just for great basketball, I mean, they say it all the time, but they’re the best fans in the world.”

Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd Face Former UConn Teammates in Hartford

Both players squared off Thursday against former UConn teammate Aaliyah Edwards, who scored for Connecticut. Bueckers made a point of noting Edwards’ performance before addressing the matchup more broadly.

“I think Liv had a good game too,” she said, using Edwards’ nickname. “Those are our sisters. That’s family. The UConn bond is for life. What you go through together, how you go through it, the experiences and relationships you build, they stay with you.”

She said the competitive stakes did not change that.

“Obviously we’re competing against each other tonight, so we both wanted to win and go to war that way,” Bueckers said. “But at the end of the day it’s always love. It’s always a sisterhood. I’m really happy for those guys and how they’re playing, and I’m happy we got the win too.”

Asked what message she would leave with UConn fans, with her college eligibility now several years behind her and no certainty about when she will next play in the state, Bueckers said she hopes to see an exhibition game at Gampel Pavilion on campus.

“I’m speaking that into existence,” she said. “I’m just so grateful for them. The support throughout the entire five years, and I know it’s going to continue for the rest of my life. It’s just like a family. This whole state supports us, backs us and loves women’s basketball. We feel their support across the world, too. We’ll forever be grateful, forever indebted, and this will always be a second home. We really love it here.”

Fudd kept her answer brief but pointed.

“Exactly what she said. Just thank you,” she said. “The five years that we both had there, they showed up every single night. It was such an incredible experience, and that wouldn’t change. They’re a huge part of what made it so special.”

Smith, who has played alongside both since their arrival in Dallas, was asked what she has learned about her teammates watching them receive in a building almost 1,700 miles from home.

“You’ve got two of the most humble superstars sitting up here right now,” she said. “The way they handle themselves and treat other people is a testament to who they are as people. 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.”

Smith said she does not think the fan base has been drawn to Bueckers and Fudd by talent alone.

“They’re two of the most deserving people to have a fan base like this,” she said. “They’re not only talented, but they’re great humans. I feel very privileged to play on a team with them and to get to know them as people. I don’t think it’s lost on the fans what kind of people they are either. That’s why they have such a large following.”

“I’m just happy to be along for the ride with these two. I think it’s pretty cool to be so young, be in the spotlight, and still stay true to yourselves. That’s something they should be very proud of,” she added.

Dallas plays at Toronto on Sunday.

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