Former UConn star Paige Bueckers could end up missing the WNBA All-Star Game after a nasty collision with Nneka Ogwumike on Sunday night.
The two players collided in the fourth quarter of the Dallas Wings’ game against the LA Sparks. Bueckers was set in a defensive stance at the top of the key when Ogwumike raced down the court, dished off a pass and tripped, crashing into Bueckers. The UConn legend was taken down hard and hit her head straight on the floor.
Both players remained down on the court for a couple of minutes before getting up. Bueckers walked off under her own power and went straight to the locker room.
The Wings said Buckers was cleared from having a concussion and is not currently in the league’s concussion protocol, but she was ruled out of Monday night’s game against the New York Liberty due to soreness.
Bueckers’ status for Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game is also now in question. The second-year guard was the leading vote-getter for the game, and was set to play alongside Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams on Cynthia Cooper’s team. It would have been her second All-Star appearance in as many years in the league.
Bueckers was in the middle of a scalding-hot scoring stretch in which she’s scored 20-plus points in eight of her last nine games. She put up 34 on July 10 in Toronto, had 22 and 11 assists on July 12 vs. Chicago, and had 25 before coming out of the game Sunday.
The Wings won Sunday’s game against the Sparks, 90-82, their sixth straight win. Dallas now has the fourth-best record in the league at 17-8. For the season, Bueckers is averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Despite the injury, Paige still seemed to have her trademark humor postgame, according to Wings reporter Drake Keeler.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez told Keeler that Bueckers was “upset at Azzi Fudd because she said Azzi tripped [Nneka] and took away her charge.” Fudd was called for a foul on the play.
After Monday, the Wings have one more game before the All-Star break– at Portland on Wednesday.