– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — As much as fairy tale stories happen, it probably would have been better to temper any expectations for Paige Bueckers upon her return to the state of Connecticut for the first time as a professional, just a couple of months removed from the end of her storied collegiate career produced the latest national championship for the University of Connecticut.
Actually, that perfect homecoming is exactly what unfolded on Tuesday night, as Bueckers played the role of conquering hero and, more importantly, the spearhead in her team’s first victory of the new season.
Bueckers scored a career-high 21 points as five players scored in double figures for the Dallas Wings during their 109-87 victory over the Connecticut Sun inside Mohegan Sun Arena. The No. 1 overall pick of last month’s WNBA Draft also added seven assists and five rebounds, making eight of her 10 shots from the field.
Though Bueckers played most of her home games while a Husky in the town of Storrs, she was invincible inside Mohegan Sun and tonight’s win moves her record inside the arena to 16-0. Like most of those previous games, all while Bueckers was with the Huskies, many in attendance tonight wore her UConn No. 5 jerseys in the stands as Bueckers received a loud ovation upon being introduced to the crowd before the start of the game.
And from the opening tip, Bueckers wasted no time being aggressive, scoring seven points while dishing out four assists in the first quarter.
Dallas trailed by one at the end of the first, but then put distance between the squads by outscoring the Sun 33-18 in the second, forcing eight Connecticut turnovers and turning them into nine points on the other end. Seventeen of the 33 points by the Wings were scored by rookies, with Bueckers’ eight combining with Aziaha James’ nine off the bench, with the NC State product making two threes and draining all three of her free throws in the frame.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST photo editor Erica Denhoff. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 15 pictures in total.
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