{"id":314388,"date":"2026-05-29T19:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/314388\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:20:08","slug":"axzi-fudd-shines-as-wings-knock-off-defending-champ-aces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/314388\/","title":{"rendered":"Axzi Fudd shines as Wings knock off defending champ Aces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just as it did at UConn<\/a>, the Paige and Azzi Show is testing pretty well at the WNBA level.<\/p>\n

Azzi Fudd<\/a>, the top overall pick in this year\u2019s WNBA Draft, earned her first-career start on Thursday, and she rewarded Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez with 22 points as the Wings beat the defending champion Aces, 95-87.<\/p>\n

Fudd shot 9-for-15 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range and was on the court for all but two minutes. It was her second straight 20-plus point performance, as she went for 24 in a road win over the Liberty on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Paige Bueckers<\/a>, who also played 38 minutes, scored 20 points, dished out six assists and came up with two blocks.<\/p>\n

The Wings also got a jaw-dropping 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists from forward Jessica Shepard, as they improved to 5-3 on the season. Dallas won just 10 games all of last year, while the Aces went 30-14 and took home their third title in four years.<\/p>\n

Reigning MVP A\u2019ja Wilson had 21 points and seven rebounds in the loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably nobody believed that we\u2019d have five wins right now and the type of wins that we\u2019ve had,\u201d Fernandez said postgame. \u201cBut I think everybody in that locker room and the staff believed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime I can step on the floor with this group, it\u2019s an honor. I don\u2019t take it lightly,\u201d Fudd said. \u201cTo be on the floor, whether it\u2019s coming off the bench, starting, I\u2019m super grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wings have now beaten title contenders Indiana, New York and Las Vegas this season.<\/p>\n

Bueckers jersey sells big<\/p>\n

The jersey Paige Bueckers wore during her WNBA debut last season sold for $64,720, according to reports<\/a>. The amount is a record for a WNBA jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing, across women\u2019s sports, an appetite for game-worn women\u2019s relics,\u201d Barry Meisel, president of the MeiGray Group, which sold the jersey, told ESPN. \u201cThe interest is robust, it\u2019s growing, and it\u2019s not speculative anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which former UConn women\u2019s stars are thriving so far in the WNBA this season?<\/a><\/p>\n

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