The Dallas Wings narrowly escaped with an 81-80 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, despite a rough shooting night from rookie Paige Bueckers. Dallas nearly squandered their lead after the Fever mounted a 19-3 run in the fourth quarter, including 13 unanswered points, but Kelsey Mitchell missed a last-second shot that could have sealed the win for Indiana.
Playing without Arike Ogunbowale (knee injury), the Wings snapped a five-game losing streak and moved to 9-24, while the Fever—still missing Caitlin Clark (groin injury)—fell to 18-15. Maddy Siegrist led Dallas with a career-high-tying 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and Li Yueru added 20 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Bueckers posted 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting but impressed coach Chris Koclanes with her playmaking, tallying eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals. He credited her for carrying a heavy workload in Ogunbowale’s absence, noting her ability to make plays consistently.
The 23-year-old top draft pick has scored in double figures in every game and entered the matchup shooting 52.9% from the field in recent outings. While her game still has areas for improvement, her versatility and basketball IQ have cemented her as a key piece for the Wings, who next face the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday.
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