Coming into this season, as the sixth UConn player to be drafted No. 1, you can assume the kind of pressure Paige Bueckers was carrying. But the confidence of leading the Huskies to a drought-busting 12th national championship, just eight days ago, was still fresh. She never let it get to her head, though. “You don’t ever want to assume anything in life,” she said. Instead, Bueckers embraced the new challenge with humility and focus. “It’s a fresh start, and we’re all ready to do something special.” Is that mindset still intact? It’s hard to guess.

Because Paige Bueckers has had a rough debut season. “You kind of know that it’s different coming in, but you don’t really know how much it is until you actually live it,” she said. Riding off 4 early losses this season, Dallas managed to bag a win against the Sun. In the next game itself, their rookie sensation took a hit and got sidelined for 4 straight games due to concussion protocol. Then two straight losses marked her much awaited return. Just as they were getting ready to pull out a hat-trick, Mystics’ offensive rebounding crushed that dream.

It’s valid to wonder, if she has let the setbacks get to her, or if the UConn standout can still separate emotion from execution. A postgame chat cleared it up. “Now I believe this is four straight clutch close games. What are some of the things you can take from these four games? A two-and-two record in those closeout games?” an interviewer asked. Dallas’ two close losses, due to locker room blunders, against the Aces and Mystics have sandwiched close victories over the Sun and the Valkyries now.

“Yeah, just being smarter,” that’s how Paige Bueckers opened. She added, “with what shots we want late, shot clock, not fouling, getting them to the free throw line, boxing out, rebounding. All the essential things in basketball that really come down to deciding games.” That’s superb clarity to have, and a much needed one, looking at Dallas’ history. “Making sure we take care of the ball and get the shots that need to be.”

Hopefully for Wings fans, Bueckers will translate this mindset in their next matchup at the College Park Center. Against a Dream squad, who are currently and the 2nd position in Eastern Conference Division. It’s going to be an interesting fight to watch. Between a team hustling to get to the top, and another one struggling to stay out of the bottom. And Dallas could bag this one, only if the whole locker room functions on the same wavelength.

Veteran Frustration Hits Paige Bueckers’ Squad

The Dallas Wings were really close to their first three-game win streak of the season. Until the Washington Mystics snatched it away. That 84-84 tie at the end of 4th quarter just disappeared. And if anyone knows how crushing that feels, it’s Arike Ogunbowale, who has been here before. Back in her Notre Dame days, she missed a crucial free throw that could’ve tied a national championship game.

However over there, instead of crumbling, she shrugged it off. She told The New York Times, “Kobe, LeBron, all of them, they’ve missed some important shots in their lifetime. It’s a part of the game, you know? I’m not going to be able to make every shot.” This time, though, her silence spoke volumes. When she was asked postgame, “What were some of your main takeaways down the stretch?” she paused for a full six seconds. She then looked down and muttered, “Probably just rebounding.” And she wasn’t wrong.

The Mystics absolutely dominated the glass when it mattered most. Shakira Austin managed to snatch a critical offensive board at 4:49 in the fourth and scored off it. She then also grabbed another with just one second left and denied Dallas a final shot. Sonia Citron and Sug Sutton locked down defensive rebounds. And in overtime, Washington had 7 total rebounds, out of which four of them offensive. The final dagger was Citron’s putback rebound at 0:26, which set up her game-winning three.

Meanwhile, Dallas simply collapsed. Arike missed a floater (4:34), a deep three (1:28), and a 32-footer (8.1s). She had zero offensive rebounds to bail her out. As Ogunbowale put it, “Obviously, shots are going to go up, some go in, some not. But who’s going to attack the glass?” The answer? Not the Wings. And that’s why they are walking away empty-handed this time.