It took six games for Azzi Fudd to show the WNBA why the Dallas Wings made her the No. 1 pick in the draft.
The former UConn women’s basketball star scored 24 points — punctuated by 17 in the third quarter — to lead the Wings to 91-76 victory over the New York Liberty Sunday in Brooklyn.
Coming off the bench, Fudd’s previous season-high was 12. She was 4-of-11 from 3-point range before Sunday, but she hit 6 of 12 against the Liberty. Five of those 3’s came in the third quarter.
Not to be outdone, teammate and fellow UConn alum Paige Bueckers also had 24 points.
With a heavy contingent of UConn fans at the Barclays Center and the team televised by NBC, Fudd and Bueckers gave the league a glimpse of what’s ahead for the Wings.
“Really proud of her, stayed the course,” Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said, according to the Associated Press. “She showed on the national stage, bright lights, tough place to play on national TV. Now everyone knows why we took her No. 1.”
Fudd has had success in Brooklyn. She scored 27 points in UConn’s win over Iowa at the Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center last season.
“The atmosphere is incredible from when I was here with UConn and even more so tonight,” Fudd said. “So having that experience with the crowd, it gets super loud. … It’s definitely a really fun crowd.”
Fudd’s 17 points in the third was tied for the second-most by a rookie in a quarter. Shoni Schimmel had 20 in a quarter as a rookie for Phoenix.
She also had two rebounds, three assists and five steals. Bueckers added six rebounds and two assists.
Fudd started the second half and she could play herself into the starting lineup. At the very least, her minutes will continue to increase.
“Her minutes have increased game by game,” Fernandez said. “I think it’s been a conversation. I think we’re headed that direction. I think it showed with her being on the floor and what she did.”