The rookie scored a team-high 27 points in front of a sold-out American Airlines Center crowd, but Dallas’ ferocious comeback attempt came up short.
It was a historic night at the American Airlines Center on Friday when the Dallas Wings took the court against the Indiana Fever. It was the first game in Wings franchise history to be played in the city of Dallas nine years after they moved to the DFW Metroplex in 2016.
Over 20,000 fans packed AAC in hopes of catching a Paige Buckers vs Caitlin Clark duel, but a groin injury took Clark out of Friday’s contest. With one star down, the other stepped up as Bueckers scored a team-high 27 points in a 94-86 Indiana Fever victory.
“It just makes you excited for the future and what it can continue to look like if we keep investing in women’s sports, keep letting us play in platforms like this, arenas like this,” Bueckers said. “There was a great turnout and a great environment.”
With the largest crowd in franchise history on hand, Dallas came out flat. The Wings struggled to find a rhythm offensively and Indiana took advantage. The Fever had 18 paint points in the first quarter and held a 43-20 lead early in the second. Then, Dallas fought back.
A Bueckers steal and 31-foot swish pulled Dallas within 13 and seized the momentum for the Wings. Arike Ogunbowale followed that up with a personal 6-0 run in the third quarter and Dallas had cut the Indiana lead to three late in the third.
“I think every single game, from game to game, I’m learning, trying to grow, get better, especially with my reads offensively,” Bueckers said.
Dallas briefly took their first — and only — lead on a JJ Quinerly and-1 midrange shot at the 5:29 mark of the 4th quarter before Indiana regained control of the game. Over the next five minutes of the game, Ogunbowale, the team’s go-to scorer for half a decade, had just two shot attempts. Bueckers had zero. Dallas’ one-point lead turned into a nine-point deficit in the blink of an eye.
“Part of that’s on the coaching staff, but it’s also, the other team is doing everything they possibly can to not allow those two to shoot the ball, so there’s a balance there,” Koclanes said. “It’s tough. When teams are being that physical, can you still work to be able to make sure you touch the ball…and are we running the right actions to be able to help them. It’s a balance.”
It showed the harsh reality of this season for Dallas: Bueckers will bring you highlights and give the crowd something to cheer about, but when the game gets tight, there’s not a plan — or at least not an effective one — to handle the late-game pressure. Dallas is 2-8 in games decided by nine points or less compared to 2-5 in games where the margin was more than 10.
The Wings dropped to 4-13 with the loss after winning three of their last four. Their next game is at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Washington Mystics at College Park Center.