HARTFORD, Conn. — Basketball fans inside PeoplesBank Arena witnessed a homecoming celebration on Thursday night for the ages.
Former UConn star Paige Bueckers led the Dallas Wings to a dramatic, double-digit comeback over the Connecticut Sun, 86-83.
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Bueckers powered the rally with a game-high 25 points and seven assists, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter on a perfect 4 of 4 from the field to clinch the victory. The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year had two three-point plays down the stretch that fueled the comeback and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
“They were a great crowd, it was a great environment; it felt like a home game in a sense,” Bueckers said. “There’s a lot of people rooting for the Wings, for Connecticut alums… it was just fun to play here, back in Connecticut and I really just enjoy being here, I love everything about it.”
Bueckers’ teammate and fellow former Husky, Azzi Fudd, had a shaky scoring performance in her return to Connecticut, scoring just four points on 2-7 shooting from the field in nearly 32 minutes.
Even with her shot not falling, Fudd kept her head up and found ways to contribute. She dished out five assists and came through in clutch when her team needed her, hitting a tough, mid-range jumper to put the Wings up by two with 52 seconds remaining.
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“All my teammates reminded me (to) stay aggressive,” Fudd said. “… my shot (is) not going to fall every single night, so how can I impact the game in other ways? How can I help my teammates get buckets? Set screens, box out, rebound (and) be reliable on defense.
“It’s not all about offense. Obviously, I’d love to see the ball go in every single time I shoot, but any way I can help my teammates win.”
Thursday’s game was a tale of two halves, as the Wings shot just 36.1% from the field in the first half before flipping the switch and shooting 62.5% in the second half. Jessica Shepard provided key support with 14 points and six rebounds, while Alanna Smith provided a solid boost off the bench with 11 points including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Sun had five players score in double-digits, with Leïla Lacan scoring a team-high 18 points, adding five assists and three steals to her stat line. Brittney Griner had her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Aliyah Edwards played well off the bench in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of her 11 points in the final period as the Sun tried to eke out the victory.
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Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd grateful for Connecticut’s love and support
Thursday’s game tipped off a four-game road trip for the Wings, but for Bueckers and Fudd, PeoplesBank Arena and the state of Connecticut will always feel like home.
“It’s (still) the XL Center to me,” Bueckers said before the game. “It’s really cool, definitely weird… to see the court have Connecticut Sun on it, not a Husky, is pretty weird and different.
“But (I am) grateful for it, just to be able to play here for five years, what that meant to me, the support that they still have for me and the team, anybody who (played for) UConn women’s basketball in general and it’s just amazing to see the support, amazing to see being back here, what it means to so many people to have women’s basketball in this state.”
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While this will be Bueckers’ last time playing against the Sun in Connecticut, the Edina, Minn. native is not ready to close the door on returning to play on her old stomping grounds.
“It could not be my last, I try to think about it that way,” Bueckers said. “I would like to have an exhibition-type game at Gampel (Pavilion) on campus. Throwing that in the air, so maybe that could be an idea for next year or something like that.
“But as of right now, it’s crazy to think of how much this state and how much the support of UConn has meant to me; that’ll be something that I’ll cherish forever and that’ll never go away. It’s the love that I have for this state.”
Bueckers and Fudd got to catch up with their former teammates from the current UConn squad on Wednesday night. Fudd highlighted their emotional return, with the last memory of her time on campus still fresh in her mind.
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“Honestly (it’s) weird being here with the UConn team. We have the same bus drivers, we stay in the same hotels, it’s so similar to being back,” Fudd said. “We got to have dinner last night with the team and that was really nice, to see all of them… it was really sweet to spend a little bit of time with them and then they’re going to be at the game today, it’s really amazing.
“I went back to campus with them last night and I remember the last time I was here, I was crying my whole way leaving. I don’t know, it’s just special being at a place that can bring back this much emotion and it shows how much the state has meant to me, how much the people here have meant to me… I’m sad that this will be the only game we play here but so grateful that it worked out the way it did.”
Smith praised her younger teammates after the game for the maturity and poise they both showed throughout the night in the face of such fanfare.
“You’ve got two of the most humble superstars sitting up here right now,” Smith said. “The way that they handle themselves and treat other people is just a testimony to who they are as people.
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“They don’t see themselves as better than or higher than, which is amazing because they have so much magnitude, especially in a place like this where it felt like a home game… they’re two of the most deserving people of that type of fanbase as well. They are not only talented, but like I said, great humans and I feel very privileged to be able to play on a team with them and get to know them as people too.”
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