Bueckers, the first Minnesota-born basketball player to be selected No. 1 overall, went 17 of 21 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
LOS ANGELES — Former Hopkins High School standout Paige Bueckers scored 44 points Wednesday night to set the WNBA record for most points in a single game by a rookie.
The 23-year-old guard scored the final 13 points for Dallas to set the new rookie record and match the 28-year-old record set by Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper for most points by a player in their first year. It’s also the most points scored in a single game by any player in the league this season.
Despite Bueckers’ record-setting performance, the Wings lost on a last-second shot by Los Angeles guard Kelsey Plum, who banked in the winning shot just before the buzzer to give the Sparks the 81-80 victory.
The loss also eliminated the Wings from playoff contention.
“I’ve always prided myself and the team on winning so that’s obviously the main goal,” she said. “Honestly, I think I’m just most proud of this team, like, the way we fight. This team just means so much to me.”
Bueckers, the first Minnesota-born basketball player to be selected No. 1 overall, went 17 of 21 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, and 6 of 6 at the free-throw line. According to the WNBA, she’s the first player in league history to score 40+ points while shooting over 80% from the field.
She also moved past Cooper for the third-longest streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games by a rookie in WNBA history with 29. Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson holds the record of 33.
This season, Bueckers leads all rookies in both scoring (18.8) and assists (5.4).
—The Associated Press contributed to this article.