HARTFORD—Thursday night was likely the Basketball Capital of the World’s last chance to see former local heroines and current Dallas Wings Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd live before its Connecticut Sun becomes the Houston Comets in a year.
Assembled at PeoplesBank Arena, the part-time home of Bueckers and Fudd’s shared alma mater of UConn, for Dallas’ visit, the crowd was large and dressed in both the Huskies and Wings’ shades of blue. The display recalled their strong support for the players long before their WNBA careers, recalling the countless Connecticut memories such as the 2025 national championship run. As the game became close, the crowd’s allegiance was clear, cheering loudly for Bueckers and Fudd whenever they made clutch plays.
The Wings came back to post an 86-83 victory behind their efforts after trailing by as many as 14 points and shooting under 35% at halftime. Dallas (12-8) held a double-figure advantage in the second half to take down the Sun in front of a near-sellout crown of 14,578.
Throwback Thursday
Harkening back to their days in Storrs, Dallas’ Husky pack came through when it mattered most.
Bueckers scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished seven assists and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the fourth quarter. He step-back shot in the penultimate minute helped Dallas erase and 11-point deficit in the final frame and she also sank the free throw that gave the Wings the lead for good with 25 seconds remaining.
Fudd added four points, four rebounds, and five assists. Both of her shots from the field occurred in key moments late in the fourth quarter.
“It was a great crowd, it was a great environment,” Bueckers said. “It felt like a home game in a sense. There were a lot of people rooting for the Wings and for Connecticut alums, so the environment was great. It was just fun to play back here in Connecticut. I love everything about it.”
Paige Bueckers tonight
• 25 points
• 7 rebounds
• 7 assists
• 9/14 FG pic.twitter.com/mqnX6XNXz3— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) July 3, 2026
Heroine’s Exit
The building reserved its loudest cheers for the victorious moments. Bueckers made two crucial three-point plays late in the game that shifted the momentum permanently. Each was met with a roaring response from the crowd, including a step-through where she, feeling contact, simply launched the shot off a broken inbound pass by Connecticut.
Fudd, who had not scored in the first three quarters, hit a pull-up jumper with just under a minute remaining. It secured a brief Dallas lead before Bueckers responded to an equalizer from fellow Husky Aaliyah Edwards at the foul line. PeoplesBank Arena erupted for both Dallas occasions, reflecting a crowd that had long been committed to the outcome.
“My teammates did a really good job of screening for me, getting me open off ball screens, getting me open in transition,” Bueckers said of the fourth-quarter surge. “So many different people stepped up throughout the entire 40 minutes, and we just played a full game and didn’t quit until the final buzzer.”
Fudd’s line did not reflect a storybook sendoff, shooting 2-of-7. She relied on a simple message teammates turn to when shots aren’t falling.
“Just staying aggressive, all my teammates remind me to stay aggressive,” Fudd said. “My shot isn’t going to fall every single night, so my goal is figuring out how I can impact the game in other ways. Rebound, set screens, box out, be reliable on defense.”
Alanna Smith, returning from injury with a minutes limit, scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and showed how the two former Huskies carry themselves in a place that regards them like royalty.
“You’ve got two of the most humble superstars sitting up here right now,” Smith said. “They don’t see themselves as better than anyone else, which is amazing because they have so much magnitude — especially in a place like this where it felt like a home game. I’m just happy to be along for the ride with these two.”
Huskies forever
Paige Bueckers, Aaliyah Edwards, and Azzi Fudd pulled up to today’s Wings-Sun game repping their @UConnwbb roots.
Tune in for the action at 8pm/ET on Prime
pic.twitter.com/24kMVYUc2s
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 2, 2026
Wings Fly in 2nd Half
Wings coach Jose Fernandez stated that their difficulties weren’t caused by lack of effort. He pointed to a 33% shooting percentage and the fact that two starters didn’t score by halftime. A crucial moment came when he substituted reserve Li Yueru to help against early double-teams on Brittney Griner. In addition to the defense, Li provided a big three-pointer that completed a 19-8 run with 1:51 remaining and set the stage of the Bueckers and Fudd show.
“In the first half we tried to guard Brittney Griner with (Awak Kuier) and bring doubles, but Griner did a great job reading the double teams and finding open teammates,” Fernandez said. “With Li, she showed a lot of resistance inside and really bothered Griner’s vision. Then when we spread the floor, Griner went to help defensively and we found Li in the corner. She hit a huge three.”
Fernandez also didn’t hold back when asked about the comparisons that followed Bueckers throughout her UConn career, when rival fans would needle opponents with some version of “they have Paige Bueckers and you don’t.”
“I would totally agree with that statement,” Fernandez said. “She does things every single day that you’re not surprised by anymore. Before today’s game, she was making half-court shots over and over. I should just come in every game with $100 and hand it to her because she keeps making them. She made three of them today. She’s such a competitor and such a winner. She refuses to lose. She never shies away from the big moment. That’s everything.”
All-Star State
A day before her return to Connecticut, the WNBA announced Bueckers as a 2026 All-Star starter for the second consecutive year. Teammate Jessica Shepard also earned her first honor before scoring 14 points and six rebounds in Hartford.
With the Sun’s sale to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta finalized, Connecticut’s 23-year WNBA history is set to end. That possibly made Thursday the league’s last game in the state that helped Bueckers and Fudd become champions.
Bueckers, with a toothy grin, isn’t ready to say goodbye.
“It could not be my last. I try to think about it that way. I don’t know, maybe we can have an exhibition-type game at Gampel on-campus, just throwing that in the air, maybe for next year,” she suggested.
“The support throughout the entire five years, I know it’s going to continue for the rest of my life,” Bueckers continued. “This whole state supports us, backs us and loves women’s basketball. We’ll forever be grateful, forever indebted, and this will always be a second home.”
Two of Connecticut’s own were on the other bench, too. Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, both former Bueckers and Fudd teammates at UConn, combined for 22 points for the Sun, nine alone coming for Edwards in the fourth. Bueckers made sure to credit them even in a loss for their side.
“Those are our sisters. That’s family,” Bueckers said. “We’re competing against each other tonight, so we both wanted to win and go to war that way. But at the end of the day it’s always love. It’s always a sisterhood.”
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