Paige Bueckers poured in 18 points and rookie Azzi Fudd scored in double figures for the first time in her career to help lift the Dallas Wings to a 92-69 win over the Washington Mystics on Monday in Arlington, Texas.
The Wings (2-2) snapped a two-game home losing streak behind a stifling defense that forced 19 turnovers, had a 31-24 edge on the glass and balanced scoring from their core players.
Dallas led by 10 points after one quarter, by nine at halftime and then by 20 after three periods after a 14-3 run capped by a Bueckers 3-pointer to close the period. The Wings were never challenged in the final period, expanding their advantage to as many as 25 points while earning their first home victory of the season.
Arike Ogunbowale hit for 16 points while Fudd — the top pick in April’s WNBA draft — scored a career-high 12 in her third professional contest. Jessica Shepard added 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Maddy Siegrist tallied 10 for the Wings.
Shakira Austin hit for 12 points and rookie Lauren Betts added 11. Kiki Iriafen had nine points and took 10 rebounds, with Sonia Citron settling for seven for Washington (2-2).
The Wings dominated the first quarter, limiting Washington to just 2 of 10 shooting from the floor and forcing eight turnovers that led to 12 points, a lion’s share of the 19-9 lead Dallas enjoyed after 10 minutes of play.
The Mystics were a little better in the second period, cutting their deficit to 30-25 after a layup by Citron at the 3:23 mark. Dallas pushed the lead to 11 points in a layup by Siegrist with 34.7 seconds to play in the half before settling for a 38-29 advantage at the break.
Austin led all scorers with 10 points before halftime as the Mystics made eight of their 12 shots in the second period and outshot Dallas 45.5% to 35.9% over the first two quarters. Siegrist’s eight points paced the tepid Wings offense, with Bueckers adding five points while taking just four shots.
Dallas stretched its advantage to 18 points late in the third quarter behind back-to-back layups by Shepard, a driving run to the hoop by Fudd and then a pair of free throws from Ogunbowale.
–Field Level Media
