UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers had a triumphant return to Connecticut by scoring a career-best 21 points as Dallas won its first game of the season, beating the Sun 109-87 on Tuesday night.
Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, shot 8 for 10 from the field and finished with seven assists and five rebounds.
Bueckers remained perfect at Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Sun play their home games. She went 15-0 at the building in college while playing for UConn, including winning four Big East championships with the Huskies. Many of her former teammates were in attendance Tuesday night.
She received a loud ovation from the sellout crowd when introduced before the game, and many fans were wearing her No. 5 jersey from UConn and Dallas.
LIBERTY 95, VALKYRIES 67
NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points, Jonquel Jones added 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and New York never trailed in a win over Golden State.
The defending WNBA champion, New York (4-0) has won eight consecutive regular-season games.
Kayla Thornton, who was selected by the Valkyries in December’s expansion draft, and Veronica Burton scored 13 points apiece to lead Golden State and Temi Fagbenle added 11. Thornton spent the last two seasons with the Liberty.
Marine Johannes scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range for the Liberty. Natasha Cloud had 10 of New York’s season-high 30 assists.
LYNX 82, STORM 77
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Courtney Williams scored 23 points, Napheesa Collier had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Minnesota held on to beat Seattle in a matchup of early season leaders in the Western Conference.
The Lynx extended their season-opening winning streak to five games and welcomed the return of Kayla McBride, who missed the first four games for personal reasons.
Minnesota led by double digits early before Seattle’s Dominique Malonga scored to open the fourth quarter and pulled the Storm within 54-53. The Lynx maintained their lead and consecutive 3-pointers by Williams and Alanna Smith made it 70-64 near the four-minute mark.
Williams hit a couple of pull-up jumpers for a 76-69 lead with two minutes left.
Seattle scored the next four points, and it was 76-73 with 27 seconds remaining. McBride added four free throws and Minnesota led 80-74 with 14 seconds remaining. Erica Wheeler hit a 3 for Seattle, Collier added two more free throws for the Lynx, and the Storm turned it over on their final possession.
DREAM 88, SPARKS 82
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 25 points and Atlanta withstood a fourth-quarter rally and beat Los Angeles.
Kelsey Plum had six points and an assist in the Sparks’ 14-3 run to open the fourth quarter and Atlanta, which led by 17 points with a minute remaining in the third, led 69-67 with five minutes left.
Three-pointers from Rhyne Howard and Gray helped Atlanta maintain a five-point lead, 79-74, with three minutes to go. Azura Stevens hit a 3-pointer for the Sparks to make it 81-77 with 59 seconds left, but Naz Hillmon’s deep 3-pointer put Atlanta back up by seven. Gray added four free throws to close it out.
Howard had 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Atlanta (4-2). Brionna Jones scored 13 points, Naz Hillmon 11 and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 10.
MERCURY 94, SKY 89
PHOENIX (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 20 points, rookie Kitija Laksa added a season-high 18 points and Phoenix rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half and beat winless Chicago.
Alyssa Thomas had 10 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Mercury. Thomas moved past Tamika Catchings (1,488) into 12th place in WNBA history with 1,503 career assists. The five-time All-Star became the first player in WNBA history with at least 10 points, five assists and five rebounds in each of the first five games of a season.
Kathryn Westbeld and Monique Akoa Makani — who was a game-time decision due to illness — scored 13 points apiece and combined to hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for the Mercury.
Angel Reese had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Sky. Ariel Atkins added a season-high 21 points, Kamilla Cardoso had 16 points and nine rebounds and Courtney Vandersloot finished with 15 points and 11 assists. Kia Nurse, who went into the game shooting 6.6% (1 of 15) from beyond the arc this season, scored 14 points, including four 3s.
The Associated Press
