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WNBA: Wings' Bueckers scores 10 in WNBA debut

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Clock IconMay 17, 2025Basketball

Napheesa Collier scored 34 points, spoiling the WNBA debut of fellow UConn alum Paige Bueckers and leading the Minnesota Lynx to a 99-84 victory over the Dallas Wings in the season opener for both teams Friday night.

Bueckers scored the first points of the season for the Wings, and the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft finished with 10 in front of an announced sellout at the 7,000-seat arena on the campus of Texas-Arlington.

She missed both of her 3-point attempts and was 3 of 10 shooting with seven rebounds and two assists.

Collier started a 13-1 run midway through the third quarter with a bucket in close and finished it with a free throw for a 71-58 lead for the Lynx, who lost to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals last year.

Courtney Williams had 25 points and nine assists and Jessica Shepard added 15 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota.

All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 16 points. DiJonai Carrington, acquired from the Connecticut Sun in an offseason trade as part of a roster overhaul after the Wings missed the playoffs in 2024, scored 15 points.

Plum, Sparks spoil Valkyries’ debut

Kelsey Plum scored 26 of her 37 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Sparks spoiled the first game in Golden State Valkyries history with an 84-67 victory.

Even the loss couldn't dampen the excitement from the sellout crowd of 18,064 at the arena that has been transformed into Valkyries purple rather than the typical court for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

The Valkyries are the WNBA's first expansion franchise since 2008 and bring professional women's basketball to the Bay Area.

Dearica Hamby added 14 points and Rickea Jackson scored 13 for the Sparks, who won in their first game under new coach Lynne Roberts.

Kayla Thornton scored the first basket in Valkyries history on the team’s first possession and there were quick chants of “G-S-V! G-S-V!”

Tiffany Hayes scored 19 points to lead Golden State, Temi Fagbenle added 15 and Julie Vanloo scored 14.

After winning two titles in her final three seasons in Las Vegas, Plum was traded in the offseason to Los Angeles in a three-team deal that also included Seattle.

She made an impressive debut with her new team with the second-highest scoring game of her career, taking over on the offensive end in the third quarter as Los Angeles built its lead to 15 points.

Mystics get past Dream

Brittney Sykes scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half, rookie Sonia Citron added 15 of her 19 after halftime and the Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 94-90 in the season opener for both teams.

Sydney Johnson, the men's basketball coach at Princeton and Fairfield before spending last season as an assistant for the Chicago Sky, got a win is his debut as coach of the Mystics.

Sykes made a driving layup with 27 seconds left, stole the inbounds pass and passed to Citron, who was fouled and made two free throws to cap the scoring with 17.1 remaining.

Kiki Iriafen, the No. 4 pick in last month's draft, fouled out in the closing seconds, finishing with 14 points for the Mystics. Sug Sutton scored 13 and Jade Melbourne 11.

Allisha Gray tied her career high with six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for Atlanta. Brittney Griner scored 11 of her 18 in the final six-plus minutes and Brionna Jones finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Rhyne Howard added 11 points and six assists.