“I don’t want to actually die out there, but I want to feel like I’m dead after the game,” Bueckers told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt following the thrilling WNBA playoff clash at College Park Center.
The second-year guard prefaced that statement by saying she wants to put her heart and body on the line to continue what has been a historic season for the No. 7-seeded Wings, who fell 104-80 to the No. 2 seed Valkyries on Sunday night at Chase Center before evening the best-of-three series three days later behind a record-breaking performance from Arike Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale, who hit a three with 4.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 93-93 and force overtime, exploded for 45 points — the most ever scored in a WNBA playoff game.
Bueckers — who scored 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting Wednesday, but still impacted the game in other ways — carried Dallas in Game 1 behind a 21-point performance on 9-of-10 shooting.
For the Wings to pull off a massive upset against the Valkyries, which swept Dallas 3–0 in the regular season, it will take maximum effort from Bueckers and the rest of the team.
Bueckers knows that. Van Pelt applauded the star for her grit, but also made a request before she goes full throttle in Game 3.
“A lovely answer, but don’t die,” Van Pelt said. “You’ve got way too much ball ahead of you.”