The WNBA preseason kicked off Friday with a matchup between the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion. While the Aces were able to get an easy 112-78 win, it was a solid debut for Wings rookie Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers has had a very busy couple of weeks, putting up massive performances during March Madness, leading UConn to an NCAA championship and getting selected first overall by Dallas. Now, she had a chance to prove herself on an WNBA court, landing in the Wings’ starting lineup.
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It was also a notable homecoming for players on both teams: Dallas star guard Arike Ogunbowale, recent Aces acquisition Jewell Loyd and longtime Aces star Jackie Young were among the Notre Dame alumnae who returned to the school for Friday’s game.
Around halfway through the first quarter, Bueckers scored her first points, pushing past the defense of Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson and Kiah Stokes to drive to the basket.
After the two teams traded momentum, the Aces started to really pull away toward the end of the first half, building a double-digit lead. That lead stayed substantial throughout the second half, even as Las Vegas started to rotate through reserve players.
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Young scored a game-high 28 points and had nine assists. Aces rookie Aaliyah Nye also made a strong first impression with 17 points.
Bueckers finished with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and four rebounds in 23 minutes. She went 4-of-7 from the floor.
Both teams spread the wealth, minutes-wise, as they tried to get a sense of who will make their final rosters. Las Vegas will play one more preseason game against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, before the regular season kicks off May 16 with the Wings hosting the Minnesota Lynx.
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