Paige Bueckers just made her case for Rookie of the Year even stronger as she set her career record of 44 points in a loss against the LA Sparks. It was a gutsy effort, but she could not overcome LA during that 80-81 loss. However, her individual effort has gotten the attention of many, including her peers.
Croatian star Nika Mühl of the Seattle Storm, also a former UConn player, reacted to her former teammate dominating in that game despite the loss:
“too good,” she posted on her Instagram story.
Another former teammate, Kaitlyn Chen, who she won a national title with last April, also reacted to the Dallas Wings star’s performance.
“That’s a lot of points,” said the former UConn Huskies star.
Meanwhile, her Dallas Wings teammate, Aziaha James, also had a reaction to Paige Bueckers’ performance against the Sparks.
“My Dawg!!” she wrote in her caption.
Ashlynn Shade, another former teammate at UConn, also took to her Instagram Stories to celebrate her former teammate’s milestone in the WNBA.
“Yesss P!!!” she wrote in her caption.
In that game, Bueckers did not just set a career high with her 44-point performance, but she also made the WNBA record for most points scored by a rookie. She had 17 of 21 shooting that night and was responsible for over half of her team’s scoring.
Dallas led the game behind Bueckers’ unstoppable play with just two minutes remaining, but it was very close. Los Angeles then turned things around late in the fourth to eke out the victory. The Wings now fall to 9-27 for the season, which means that they have a high chance of getting a high pick for next year’s WNBA draft.
Paige Bueckers Talks About 44-Point Performance Vs. LA Sparks
After the game, Paige Bueckers spoke with the media about her strong performance despite her team taking another loss that night. However, she still credited her team for how well she did.
“I’ve always prided myself in the team winning, so that’s obviously the main goal,” she said. “I’m most proud of this team and the way we fight. This team just means so much to me. Just 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’re learning and growing together. What we’re building here, it just makes me so happy.”
This loss to the Sparks happened on the road, and their next game is scheduled for Friday, but this time on their home floor in Dallas as they take on the Seattle Storm.
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