Los Angeles, CA (August 20, 2025) —  Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers set a WNBA rookie record for points in a game with 44 but the Wings came up just shy at the Los Angeles Sparks, falling 81-80 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. Bueckers shot 17-21 (.809) from the field, 4-4 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line, while adding four rebounds, three assists and a steal. With the loss, Dallas falls to 9-27 on the year while LA improves to 17-18.

With her performance tonight, Bueckers:

• Set the WNBA rookie scoring record, recording the most points by a rookie in a single game in league history (44).
  • The WNBA first-year player record of 44 was set by Cynthia Cooper in the first season of the WNBA (1997), when all players were ‘first year’; the true rookie record was held by Candace Parker who scored 40 points in 2008
• Broke the record for most points in a game by a rookie in franchise history.
• Became the first player in league history to score 40+ points while shooting at least 80% from the field.
• Recorded the most points in a game by a player this season.
• Tied the franchise record for most field goals made in a game (17).
• Moved to No. 1 in franchise history for most double-digit scoring games in a rookie season (29).
• Tied Arike Ogunbowale for No. 2 in franchise history for most 35+ point games in a rookie season (2).
• Set career-highs in both points and field goals made.

Game Leaders 

First Quarter: Dallas 16, Los Angeles 18 

Dallas featured a starting lineup of Grace Berger, Paige Bueckers, Maddy Siegrist, Haley Jones and Luisa Geiselsöder for the fourth time this season. The Wings jumped out on a 9-0 run as Berger dished two assists and Bueckers notched six points. Rickea Jackson erased Dallas’ double-digit lead with eight points to close the quarter. The guard sank a 3-pointer to hand Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 15-14. Bueckers produced eight of Dallas’ 16 first-quarter points, going 3-of-4 from the floor with two rebounds and an assist. The Wings shot 40% from the field, 50% from deep and 66.7% at the charity stripe for the first.

Second Quarter: Dallas 21, Los Angeles 26 

The Sparks run carried over into the second, growing to 30-9. Down 12 points, Aziaha James found Siegrist behind the arc to kickstart an 11-3 Wings run in the final minutes of the first half to clip the deficit to seven. Bueckers and Siegrist combined for 16 of Dallas’ 21 points in the second with eight apiece. Siegrist hit from deep twice while grabbing two boards and two steals to close the quarter. Jackson headlined the Sparks with 17 points and three steals.

Third Quarter: Dallas 29, Los Angeles 15 

The Wings opened the second half firing from behind the arc, with Geiselsöder and Jones hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to three points. Bueckers and Siegrist then combined for five consecutive points to reclaim the lead for Dallas at the 2:59 mark and stamp a 13-5 run. Dallas’ defense held the Sparks to just six makes from the floor in the third, shooting just 35.3% from the field and 25% from behind the arc. On the offensive end, Bueckers exploded for 15 points in the third alone, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and accounting for over half of the Wings’ third-quarter production.

Fourth Quarter: Dallas 14, Los Angeles 22 

Dallas’ third-quarter run cooled in the opening minutes of the fourth, concluding at 21-9. The Wings and Sparks remained neck and neck with nine lead changes in the fourth alone. Tied 79-79 with 2:34 remaining, Bueckers hit a free throw to give Dallas a 1-point lead with 1:03 left to play, marking her 44^th point of the game. Kelsey Plum then called game for Los Angeles, banking a floater in the paint as the clock expired to seal the win. Bueckers produced 13 of Dallas’ 15 fourth-quarter points, going 5-of-7 from the floor.

Siegrist joined Bueckers in double figures with 13 points, going 3-5 from three, while Berger had a career-high seven assists. With the loss, Dallas is eliminated from playoff contention.

Jackson and Plum combined for 45 points for Los Angeles. The Wings closed the night shooting 48.3% from the field, a season-high of 57.9% from behind the arc and 78.6% at the charity tripe.  The game featured three ties and 15 lead changes.

Dallas will return to Arlington to kick off a three-game homestand, first hosting the Seattle Storm on August 22 at College Park Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, airing on ION.