Some of those 3s contributed to Fudd’s 17 third-quarter points, which tied the WNBA rookie record for the second-most points scored in a single quarter.
“I mean, obviously the third quarter was amazing, but not every game’s going to be like that,” Fudd told reporters Wednesday after practice at SMU.
But the 2026 No. 1 pick has built a reputation for herself as a sharpshooter over the years. Through six games with the Wings, she’s shooting 43.5% from 3. Fudd shot 50% from three against New York.
How did Fudd become a 3-point specialist?
“I feel like it came more so after I got hurt the first time,” said Fudd, referring to when she tore her ACL and MCL after her sophomore season in high school. “All you can do at some points in rehab is just stationary shooting.
“It was just like catch and shoot, catch and shoot. That’s all I did.”
But there’s another somewhat unexpected 3-point shooting threat on the Wings roster this year: 2025 No. 1 overall pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.
Unexpected because Bueckers, who is shooting 48.3% from 3 on the season and ranks 12th in the league in 3-pointers made, is known for her signature midrange jumper.
“I mean it’s my favorite shot. It’s something that I’ve been working on since high school,” Bueckers told reporters Wednesday after practice at SMU, seemingly lighting up when discussing it. “I think it’s the toughest shot to guard because people don’t really shoot it anymore.
“… It’s tough getting to the rim in this league and it’s tough getting open 3s in this league, so to be able to score in the midrange — it’s the shot I work on the most. It’s the shot I love most.”
She’s certainly been utilizing that shot, averaging 19.3 points and shooting 52.2% from the field for the 4–3 Wings.
And in a sort of role reversal, so has her former UConn teammate Fudd. Before Fudd had her 3-point shooting spree against New York, helping her climb to 17th in the league in 3-pointers made, she scored many of her buckets in the midrange.