Dallas Wings' star guard Paige Bueckers poured in a career-high 44 points on 81 percent shooting Wednesday night. The stellar performance cemented the reigning No. 1 overall draft pick as the first WNBA player this season to reach the 40-point mark and the most points by a rookie in league history.

Dallas was spared a rout, but only just. In a heart-stopping WNBA showdown, rookie sensation Paige Bueckers poured in 44 points for the Dallas Wings, delivering a performance that

Dearica Hamby pulled down the rebound for the Sparks, and she immediately gave the ball to Plum, who dribbled the ball to the Sparks' half-court and slowly wasted time away. With five seconds left, the Sparks star used a pick by Hamby to force a switch and then beat the slower Luisa Geiselsoder off the dribble to bank home the game-winner.