Paige Bueckers Is Undefeated at Mohegan Sun & Honestly So Is Her Aura

Paige Bueckers could’ve run for mayor of Connecticut on Tuesday night and won in a landslide.

A sea of No. 5 jerseys, some UConn navy, some Wings teal—packed the Mohegan Sun Arena to welcome back the “Queen of Connecticut.”

In her first WNBA game at the place where she went a perfect 15-0 in college, Paige did what Paige always does here: she got buckets, and more importantly, she won.

A carer-high 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and most importantly, the first W of her pro career. Dallas 109, Connecticut 87.

The losing streak is over and now the Wings can start to take flight.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever lost here,” Bueckers said after the game. “So I was trying to carry that into tonight.”

Mission accomplished.

All She Does is Win

It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement. 

After four straight losses to open her WNBA career—something she literally couldn’t recall happening before, Bueckers balled out.

This was on the very court where she once stacked Big East titles like they were punch cards. Tuesday’s win didn’t just stop the bleeding. It looked and felt like the beginning of a team getting ready to figure out how to win. A blueprint. A spark. Whatever you want to call it.

 

“She just continues to do things that should be surprising but aren’t,” Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said. “You take a step back and just appreciate the type of player—and even more so, the type of person—she is.”

Let’s be clear: Bueckers didn’t just soak up the spotlight, she ran it like a damn power plant.

The Wings’ ball movement was the cleanest it’s looked all year. Twenty-six assists on 37 made shots. It was basketball jazz—and Paige was the one conducting the band.

 

“What I’ll remember the most: 26 assists on 37 shots,” she said. “How we played together as a team. How much we looked like a team.”

Reunited and It Felt So Good

The game had the feel of a college reunion and the UConn alumni association also threw oops.

Whether they were on the court, like Tina Charles or Olivia Nelson-Ododa, or in the stands like Kaitlyn Chen, or Jana El Alfy, Bueckers had a front-row fan club of former Huskies in the building. While there were no Gampel Pavilion banners in sight, the vibes were pure Storrs nostalgia.

 

“They’re great. I love them,” Bueckers said of her old teammates. “They’re a huge part of my story… just to have them here means everything to me.”

Maddy Siegrist, who had a breakout game herself, and played against Bueckers in the Big East routinely summed it up best: “It’s definitely better playing with her than it is against her.”

Meanwhile, the Wings had more reunions than a Real Housewives finale. Curt Miller returned to Mohegan. DiJonai Carrington and Ty Harris made their first trip back as opponents. And even Chris Koclanes, now head honcho in Dallas, once roamed the sidelines in Sun gear.

 

“I’m just grateful,” Koclanes said postgame. “It’s cool to be able to do that in Connecticut. A sigh of relief for them. Now we can put that behind us and focus on the big picture.”

Built for This

There’s a quiet confidence to Bueckers that’s impossible to fake. Bueckers looks like she’s constantly in a flow state, and just moves—like water, like silk, like she’s been doing this her whole life. Because she has.

 

“She wants to really be a great leader,” Koclanes said. “She’s committing time into developing those skills to help this culture and her teammates as a rookie.”

You don’t usually hear coaches talking about rookie culture builders five games into a season. But with Bueckers, it fits. The moment never feels too big. Even when the arena is sold out, the cameras are flashing, and you’ve got UConn legends and Connecticut kids screaming your name like you’re Taylor Swift walking on stage.

 

“It felt great just to play like that as a team,” Bueckers said. “Obviously that environment is special to me.”

The Wings are still just 1-4, but Tuesday felt like a turn.

Teaira McCowan gave them strong minutes inside. Arike Ogunbowale exploded for 15 points in the third quarter. The ball moved. The vibes clicked. The vision—the one Dallas is betting on—finally came into view.

“We’re a team,” said Koclanes. “We’ve got a lot of tools, a lot of versatility. So many different combinations we can go with.”

Oh, and one last thing? Paige Bueckers is still undefeated at Mohegan Sun Arena.

And somehow, it feels like her run there is just getting started.