HARTFORD, Conn. -- Paige Bueckers so often single-handedly willed the Huskies to victory during her UConn career that "We have Paige Bueckers and they don't" became a common refrain around Storrs.
On Thursday evening in Hartford, the Dallas Wings had Bueckers, and the Connecticut Sun did not. With Dallas down double digits in the fourth quarter, she erupted with 11 points and did not miss a basket to propel the Wings to a 14-point comeback victory, 86-83 over the last-place Sun.
Asked postgame whether he relates to that sentiment, Wings coach Jose Fernandez took a moment to answer, smiling and nodding.
"I would totally agree with that statement," he said.
The game was the Sun's final contest played in Hartford before the franchise relocates to Houston beginning in the 2027 season. And though a passionate contingent of Sun fans filled PeoplesBank Arena, it felt like a Wings home game for large swaths of it, particularly whenever Bueckers or Azzi Fudd, a fellow former UConn star and Dallas' recent No. 1 pick, made good plays.
That was apparent down the stretch as Bueckers went on her run, which included back-to-back and-1 plays in the final few minutes to give the Wings the lead.
The Sun led by 11 at the 7:11 mark of the fourth, but Bueckers and Fudd, the latter scoreless until the fourth, outscored the Sun 13-11 over the final 5:05 of the contest.
Bueckers finished with 25 points, giving her a fourth straight performance with at least 25 points and shooting at least 50% to tie Kelsey Plum for the longest such streak by a guard in WNBA history. Bueckers, who earlier in the day was named an All-Star starter and received the most fan votes, also finished with seven rebounds and seven assists.
"She does [incredible] things every single day that now you're not surprised of anymore," Fernandez said of Bueckers. "She's just different. She's such a competitor and a winner, and she just refuses to lose. Certain guys don't want the ball in their hands at the end, don't want to take the big shot, and she never shies away from the big moment."
The Wings also saw big impacts from Jessica Shepard (14 points) and Alanna Smith (11 off the bench). The Sun were led by sophomore standout Leila Lacan (18).
Dallas' rally snapped a two-game losing streak and marked the Wings' fourth double-digit comeback win this season, tying the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx for most in the league this season. It was their second-biggest comeback of the year.
The Wings (12-8) are hoping to return to the postseason after a two-year hiatus, and with No. 1 picks Bueckers and Fudd are aiming to build a championship contender.
"Obviously we don't want to be down going into the third, going into the fourth," Fudd said, "but I think these games just teach us what we're capable of. If we can play the way that we did that second half, that fourth quarter, the whole entire game, we're a pretty good team. Going down to the end of the season, this is really good preparation for us to be in situations like this."
