Despite hopes for a showdown between the league’s two most recent No. 1 overall draft picks, the highly anticipated matchup was derailed when Indiana’s Caitlin Clark was ruled out days before the game with a left groin injury. Clark, who had earlier missed five games due to a quadriceps strain, was officially sidelined again before Indiana’s Friday night contest against Dallas, postponing her first-ever WNBA meeting with Paige Bueckers.
With Clark out, the stage was set for Bueckers to steal the show, and that she did. In 36 minutes of action, Bueckers lit up the nets against the Fever’s defense. She put up a stat line of 27 points, six assists, two steals, two blocks, and a rebound while shooting 9-of-18 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. While the defense could not contain Bueckers, it was enough for the Fever to take home the win. The Indiana coach, Stephanie White, was asked post-game what the plan was for Bueckers.
White told the reporters, “It’s trying to make everything as difficult as possible, um let her see multiple bodies, um, different kinds of matchups just make her really work for everything that she’s going to get, I mean, when you’re playing against really great players, you’re not going to stop them, right? Just have to try to make life as difficult as possible and make them beat you with tough ones.”
Despite the Wings struggling as a team, Bueckers is having one of the best rookie seasons in league history. The offensive creation, ease in the half court, and tough shot-making that defined Bueckers’ UConn career have all quickly translated to the pro level. Her averages of 17.7 points and 5.8 assists are both in the top 15 league-wide.
Safe to say she is already one of the best players in the league, and White had to ensure she had minimal space to work with. While that did not work on the day, she could have possibly scored even more if not for this strategy. Despite Bueckers going past them multiple times, they found a way to win. That win was a special one for Coach White as it was her 100th as a head coach in this game. White came into the season with a 92-56 record, and this was the 8th win of the season for the Fever. She will hope to carry on some momentum from this game after an underwhelming 8-8 record so far.
Stephanie White began her WNBA head coaching career with the Indiana Fever in 2015 and 2016, guiding the team to a 37–31 record and leading them to the WNBA Finals in her first season. After spending several years away from the league, including a stint coaching at Vanderbilt, White returned to the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun.
There, she compiled an impressive 55–25 record over two seasons and was named the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year. Following the 2024 season, White made a much-anticipated return to Indiana, drawn by the opportunity to lead a talented young roster featuring No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark. While her tactics against Bueckers didn’t show much result, she is experienced enough to improve on this. We will see how they stack up when the two face each other in the return fixture on July 13.
Bueckers and Co.’s Slow Start Costed Them Dearly
While Stephanie White’s defensive strategy against Paige Bueckers didn’t hold up over the full 40 minutes, it did help the Fever explode out of the gates. Indiana came out red-hot, shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and holding Dallas to just three points over the first five minutes. Bueckers got on the board early with a layup and a free throw from a technical foul, but then struggled to find her rhythm, opening the game just 1-for-6. Arike Ogunbowale also had a quiet start, not scoring until there were just over four minutes left in the first half.
That sluggish opening put the Wings in an early hole. Despite a strong push later in the game, the 13–33 first-quarter deficit proved too much to overcome. Dallas fought back valiantly, with Bueckers logging her fourth 20+ point performance in the last five games, and both Ogunbowale and Aziaha James contributing 15 and 14 points, respectively. The Wings even managed to win the next two quarters by a combined 15 points, but the Fever remained composed and sealed the victory in the fourth.
Jun 17, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) celebrates with teammates during the second half against the Golden State Valkyries at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
For the Wings, this game exposed a new and concerning issue—poor starts. Earlier in the season, their main struggle was closing games, but this performance flipped that script. In their last game against the Dream, they started strong with a 19–10 first quarter, and they also jumped ahead early in their win over the Sun. A fast start is key for this team if they want to string together more wins.
The Wings simply don’t have the depth or consistency to recover when both Bueckers and Ogunbowale start slow. Their defense is still too unreliable, and shot-making from the supporting cast remains inconsistent. Until those issues are addressed, falling behind early will continue to cost them games they can’t afford to lose.
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