As Paige Bueckers pulled up from the free-throw line and knocked down a jumper with just over four minutes to play, there was a quiet sense of arrival. The Dallas Wings were in another late-game battle — but this time, Bueckers was the one steadying the moment.
The rookie guard from UConn scored 20 points and added four rebounds, two assists and four steals in Tuesday night’s 80–71 win over the Golden State Valkyries at College Park Center. It was the Wings’ first home win of the season and marked a breakthrough after weeks of frustration.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Bueckers said. “It felt good. Our last one was during the preseason game. But we stayed the course. Our last game really hurt because we had the lead for the majority of the game and it came down to it in the fourth quarter. So I think this was a growing moment for us.”
Bueckers played all 40 minutes and scored six points in the fourth quarter as the Wings closed on a 10–1 run. Her jumper gave Dallas a 73–70 lead with 4:06 remaining. They never trailed again.
A Familiar Face in the Crowd
Tuesday’s performance came with an added layer of meaning. Sitting courtside was UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, watching Bueckers as a pro for the first time.
“It was cool,” Bueckers said. “It’s definitely weirder for him to be a spectator and a fan, I guess, at the game and courtside. But I could just hear him in the back of my mind — all the lovely things he would have to say. So it was fun. It was cool. I was glad to see him here.”
The night also offered a quick reunion with former UConn teammate Kaitlyn Chen, who signed with the Valkyries earlier in the week due to multiple EuroBasket-related absences.
While Chen did not play, Bueckers had the chance to connect with her both before and after the game. The two were part of UConn’s 2025 national championship team and shared a brief on-court embrace postgame.
Composure in the Moment
The Wings entered the night on a seven-game losing streak. In many of those games, they had late leads or chances to close. This time, they finished the job.
“I think we did a really good job of applying what we learned from the last game and the last close game,” Bueckers said. “I think we had four fouls with like six minutes to go, and we did a good job of keeping them out of the bonus and limiting their foul attempts.”
Defensively, Dallas held Golden State to one point in the final 5:10. The team also recorded 14 offensive rebounds and took 15 more shots than the Valkyries.
Head coach Chris Koclanes called it a step toward the identity he’s been pushing for — one rooted in effort, toughness and late-game execution.
“We’ve got to learn to win,” Koclanes said. “Tough game in Vegas down the stretch, and I think you saw a different tenacity the last five minutes to really go and get it. Again, it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect, but we went and we took it.”
Confidence Built Through Work
Despite her steady scoring and control of the game, Bueckers said her confidence has come from staying grounded in preparation and trust.
“Confidence comes from the work you put in,” she said. “It comes from my faith and the confidence that my coaching staff has in me, that my teammates have in me — just to go out there and do what I do. And it’s a learning curve. I’m learning every single game. There’s ups and downs, there’s bumps and bruises, but as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep pushing and keep working and keep sticking to what we know — that’s where you get your confidence from.”
Veteran forward Myisha Hines-Allen said the team wants to build off the win, not treat it as a one-off.
“We don’t want to get complacent with this just being our second win,” Hines-Allen said. “We want to keep building on this. We’ve got a tough Connecticut team coming up. So we’re just looking toward that right now.”
What’s Next
Bueckers said the home crowd, which responded loudly to every key stop and basket late, gave the team extra energy during critical stretches.
“The way the crowd supported us tonight… they just have stuck with us through the wins and the losses,” she said. “It means a lot to get one here, but it also just means that we want to keep building off of this.”
The Wings (2–11) will look to do just that when they travel to face the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Mohegan Sun Arena.
