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Paige Bueckers made her WNBA debut on Friday.
The former UConn Huskies star had 10 points on 3-of-10 from the field with seven rebounds and two assists against the Minnesota Lynx. However, the Dallas Wings fell short in their first game of the season, 99-84.
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Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) talks with head coach Chris Koclanes, right, in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)
Bueckers suggested she had a sigh of relief after her first-career game was finished.
“The first one’s always the hardest, usually,” Bueckers said. “Not to say that it won’t get harder, but just being able to have a starting point and continuing to build off that. And then there’s no more questions about what is it going to be like for your first WNBA game. Now you have (to) move on past that.”
Wings head coach Chris Koclanes spoke glowingly of Bueckers and said the rookie was able to handle the hype and pressure that will come with her first season in the W.
“She’s been fantastic. She’s special in how she’s able to handle things with such grace,” Koclanes said. “As a team, like really preaching, lots of attention to evolving our mental game and just dealing with everything else, all the outside expectations, the outside noise, and really trying to expose them and give them all sorts of different ways to stay present.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers warms up before a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard Rodriguez)
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“Credit to Paige, she individually comes in with an incredible amount of personal attention on that and already lives that way,” Koclanes said. “It matched up well with our style and what we’re trying to create with the type of person she is already.”
Arike Ogunbowale had 16 points to lead the Wings. Newcomer DiJonai Carrington had 15 points in her Dallas debut.
Napheesa Collier had 34 points to lead the Lynx. Courtney Williams had 25 points and nine assists.
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) drives the ball past Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) in the second half of a WNBA basketball game on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)
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The Lynx lost in the WNBA Finals last season to the New York Liberty. They finished the year 30-10.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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