Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers set a new scoring record for a rookie in the WNBA, scoring 44 points on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Despite her outstanding performance, the Los Angeles team, led by Kelsey Plum, took the victory with a final score of 81-80 at the Crypto.com Arena.The defeat did not overshadow Bueckers’ incredible night. With an impressive 80% field goal percentage (17 of 21), she became the first player in WNBA history to score more than 40 points with such high accuracy.Despite Bueckers’ effort, the rest of the Wings team had a difficult night, with 31% shooting efficiency (12 of 39). Bueckers was responsible for 55% of her team’s points, the fifth-highest percentage in WNBA history and the highest since 2004.
Bueckers also demonstrated his accuracy from the free throw line, making all six attempts, and from the three-point line, scoring all four shots. In addition, he highlighted the importance of his mid-range game.It’s a lot of repetition in practice. And learning and growing, watching videos of how you can get to your positions, how you can attack, how you can use your teammates to set screens for you, attack in transition and when teams switch on screens. Just reading the possession.
Paige Bueckers
Bueckers’ 44 points, the most scored by any player in the WNBA this season, put her in third place in franchise history, which was formerly known as the Shock in Detroit and then in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving to Dallas in 2016. The franchise record is held by Liz Cambage, with 53 points for Dallas in 2018.I really think basketball has moved away from that – it’s mainly layups and threes. Teams don’t know how to defend it. So I think it’s an advantage when you can score in the mid-range.
Paige Bueckers
The previous record for points by a rookie in a WNBA game was 40, set by Candace Parker of Los Angeles in 2008. Bueckers, who is shaping up to be the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award in 2025, has demonstrated exceptional talent.
Bueckers, reflecting on her outstanding performance, highlighted the importance of the support received, especially after overcoming serious injuries during her college career.She takes what the defense gives her all over the court. She just plays at her own pace. You can’t speed her up. It’s really impressive for a rookie in this league to be able to maintain her own speed and rhythm. I think that helps her to be able to read the defense.
Chris Koclanes, Dallas coach
Although the Sparks (17-18) are still competing for a playoff spot, Dallas (9-27) has already been eliminated. However, Bueckers and the Wings maintain their focus on teamwork.People have seen the difficulties… the injuries, the ups and downs. That people continue to believe in me means a lot. I will never take that for granted.
Paige Bueckers
I have always prided myself on the team winning, so that is obviously the main goal. I am very proud of this team and the way we fight. This team means a lot to me. The way we invest. We love each other. It could be easy for us to be [9-27] and be miserable and hate coming to work, but we show up for each other. We are learning and growing together. What we are building here, makes me very happy.
Paige Bueckers
