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Dallas Wings rising star Paige Bueckers put together one of the best performance by a WNBA rookie in history but it was a Los Angeles Sparks veteran who spoiled the show.
Bueckers, the former UConn Huskies standout who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft, scored 44 points in the Wings’ 81-80 loss to the Sparks. It was the most points in a single game by a rookie in WNBA history and the most points of any player this season.
She was 17-of-21 from the field and made all of her four 3-point attempts. She added four rebounds and three assists.
Cynthia Cooper, of the then-Houston Comets, scored 44 points in the league’s inaugural season in 1997. All players were considered to be in their “first year” at the time. Sparks legend Candace Parker scored 40 points in 2008 and was the holder of the true rookie record.
“I’ve always prided myself and the team on winning so that’s obviously the main goal,” she said. “Honestly, I think I’m just most proud of this team, like, the way we fight. This team just means so much to me.”
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Bueckers is 60 points shy of Arike Ogunbowale’s record for most points in a single season by a rookie. She scored 630 points in 2019.
The Wings would have liked to get the win. Bueckers scored the Wings’ final 13 points. But it was Sparks star Kelsey Plum who got the final say.
Plum had the ball in her hands in the final seconds and was heavily guarded by several Wings players. She got around one defender and took the ball into the paint and put up a floater.
The ball went off the backboard and into the net as the buzzer sounded.
Plum had 20 points in the win. Rickea Jackson led the Sparks with 25 points, including six 3-pointers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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