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Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings hosted the Seattle Storm on Monday. After a 99-84 season-opening loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday, the Wings hoped to do better in their second game. Bueckers, who finished with 10 points behind 3-for-10 shooting, looked to put on a more efficient outing.
Bueckers’ first contribution was a nifty pass that resulted in a DiJonai Carrington layup. The point guard briefly went to the locker room after she fell following a collision with Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike.
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The Wings trailed 17-11 when Bueckers returned to play. She scored seven points in the last four minutes to help her team take a 26-25 lead after the first quarter.
The Dallas Wings' offense badly stuttered in the second quarter. After a hot start, Paige Bueckers went 1-for-4 to finish the first half with a team-high 11 points. The Wings faced a 56-41 deficit following the Storm's 31-15 second-quarter dominance.
Bueckers made the Wings' engine hum to open the third quarter with back-to-back assists. He finished the period with two points and three dimes as Dallas responded to close the gap to 66-61 entering the fourth frame.
The fourth quarter was a defensive slugfest. Bueckers stole a Gabby Williams pass with 1:23 left and then scored a basket to move the Wings to within 74-69 of the Seattle Storm. An error by the Wings off a timeout proved costly, allowing their visitors to win 79-71.
Paige Bueckers bounces back with a more efficient game but Wings lose second straight game
Paige Bueckers rebounded from a 3-for-10 clip on Friday to finish Monday's game with 19 points behind 7-for-14 shooting. She had a team-high eight assists but could have gotten more had her teammates been more efficient with their shots.
Against the Seattle Storm, Bueckers had long stretches where she carried the Dallas Wings with either her scoring or playmaking. With Arike Ogunbowale making only 2 of 14 attempts, the rookie took up the scoring cudgels and ran the plays.
More importantly, Paige Bueckers' two-way impact late, when the Wings tried to rally, was on full display. Still, the home team remains winless despite the No. 1 pick of this year's draft having the best game of her young WNBA career.
