Latest news with #NancyLiebermanAward
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Fever sign another guard to 7-day contract to ease loss of season-ending injuries to PGs
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever announced Thursday they have signed Kyra Lambert to a seven-day contract. The Fever qualify for the roster spot due to the season-ending injuries to Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald. Caitlin Clark remains out with a right groin injury and Colson and McDonald's injuries left the Fever without a healthy point guard. The team signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract last week to help ease some of the point guard depth concerns. Lambert, a 5-9 point guard, has spent most of her professional career in Europe, spending time in Greece, France (Toulouse), Latvia (TTT Riga), New Zealand (Whai), Slovakia (Slavia Banska Bystrica) and Turkey (Karsiyaka). She won the Greek A1 League with Olympiacos this past season, averaging 15.4 points on 42.1% shooting, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals. Lambert spent five seasons at Duke, where she totaled 630 points and 245 assists over 95 games. She tore her ACL in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament as a sophomore, an injury which sidelined her for the entirety of her junior campaign. She returned for the 2018-19 campaign and was recognized as a preseason candidate for the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard), but suffered another torn ACL during the preseason. Lambert returned from that second tear and started in 21 of 30 games as a graduate student, averaging 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals. She finished her career at Texas, where she averaged seven points and 3.1 assists over 29 games. Lambert will wear No. 15 for the Fever.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers' Blunt Response to Immediate Problem in WNBA Rookie Season
On Monday, the Dallas Wings dropped their second straight game, falling 79-71 at home to the Seattle Storm. Rookie guard Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds, improving markedly on her debut line of 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists in a season-opening loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Advertisement Yet, the Wings shot a woeful 4-for-19 from three and were repeatedly burned by Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Nneka Ogwumike, who combined for 61 points. After the final buzzer, a reporter noted that defenses have been sending double teams at Bueckers "on nearly every possession" and asked how she planned to respond. "I mean it's probably smart just to get the ball out of my hands, and just trying to... adjust offensively on how to counteract a trap... and maybe less ball screens and screening," Bueckers said. "But it's just something a different look that defenses are throwing at me, which is an adjustment. And so just continue to learn and work through that." Bueckers concluded a decorated five-year career at UConn this spring as the nation's premier college player. Advertisement She led the Huskies to the 2025 NCAA title, earning all of the sport's top honors in her senior year: the Honda Sports Award, Wade Trophy, and AP Player of the Year, among others. A three-time unanimous first-team All-American (2021, 2024, 2025) and two-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner, Bueckers posted a career scoring average of 19.9 points per game, the highest in UConn history. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5).Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Wings selected her with the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft in April. At 0-2, they now face a true test of resilience when Bueckers returns to Minnesota on Wednesday for her 'homecoming' versus the Lynx. Related: Former WNBA Champion Involved in Caitlin Clark Incident Gets Released Related: Indiana Fever Turn Heads with Roster Announcement on Thursday
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dallas Wings' Strong Statement on Paige Bueckers Amid Rookie Season
The Dallas Wings may not have a strong team this year, but they do have a strong rookie in Paige Bueckers who should help transform them into winners in the years to come. She struggled in her WNBA debut on Friday by going 3-of-10 from the field and scoring just 10 points. But in the first half of Monday's game versus the Seattle Storm, she scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and added four assists, two rebounds and one block. Advertisement On their official X account, the Wings reminded the rest of the league that Bueckers will be an issue for many other teams for a long time. "We've got Paige... you've got problems :)" the caption read. Less than two months ago, Bueckers led the UConn Huskies to the women's NCAA championship over South Carolina. For the season, she averaged 19.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game while shooting 53.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range. The guard won the Wade Trophy, the Big East Player of the Year and Nancy Lieberman Award in 2025, and she was the No. 1 pick in last month's WNBA draft by Dallas. May 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) passes over Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) during the second half at College Park Jairaj-Imagn Images Dallas, a franchise that won three league championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008 when it was known as the Detroit Shock, has fallen upon hard times in recent years. It went just 9-31 last season and has had a winning record just once in the last nine seasons. Advertisement But in Bueckers, it could have the WNBA's next superstar to build around moving forward. Related: Paige Bueckers Reveals Truth on Exchange With Napheesa Collier
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve Sends Clear Message Before Paige Bueckers' Rookie Season
Friday night's opener at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, was electric long before tipoff. A sold-out crowd packed the arena as the Dallas Wings prepared to host the Minnesota Lynx in a matchup that carried a lot of weight as the WNBA debut of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. Advertisement Bueckers, facing the very franchise she idolized growing up in Minnesota, put up ten points, seven rebounds, two assists and one block in what was an 84-99 loss for the Wings. Reeve, serving dual roles as head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, spoke about Bueckers' roots before the game. 'She's from Minnesota. We're super proud of her… Minnesota is an incredible place for girls' basketball, women's basketball, and we've been a huge part of that. You know, we're a big reason why Paige, sort of, got a chance to dream… She deserves it.' Born in Edina and raised in nearby St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Bueckers was the nation's top recruit out of Hopkins High School. Advertisement Joining UConn in 2020, she became the first freshman ever to sweep the AP Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Nancy Lieberman Award honors in a single season. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5).Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images After overcoming knee injuries that sidelined her in her sophomore and junior seasons, she returned to lead the Huskies to an undefeated conference slate and the 2025 NCAA championship. Bueckers closed her UConn career as the third-highest point scorer in program history with 2,439 points and the highest career scoring average at 19.9 per game. Related: Indiana Fever Turn Heads with Roster Announcement on Thursday Related: Former WNBA Champion Involved in Caitlin Clark Incident Gets Released
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UConn Shares Exciting Statement Featuring Paige Bueckers on Friday
The UConn Huskies women's basketball program recently celebrated another significant milestone. With the 2025 WNBA season set to tip off, 15 former Huskies will begin the year on opening-day rosters. Among the names highlighted was guard Paige Bueckers, who is set to make her debut with the Dallas Wings in their season opener against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday. Advertisement Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall by the Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft after a standout college career with the Huskies. UConn took to X to celebrate the achievement, highlighting not only the program's strong pipeline to the professional ranks but also one of college basketball's most decorated players stepping onto the WNBA stage. Bueckers arrived at UConn in 2020 and quickly reshaped expectations for freshman guards. In 2021, she became the first-ever freshman to claim the John R. Wooden Award and AP Player of the Year, joining an elite list of Huskies legends. In her final senior season in 2024-25, she led UConn in scoring (19.9 ppg) and assists (4.6 apg), while shooting 53.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range. Advertisement In the process, she guided the Huskies to their 12th national title, won the Wade Trophy, Nancy Lieberman Award, and consensus First-Team All-America honors. She also earned Big East Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player distinctions. Dallas Wings guard Paige Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Dallas finished 2024 with a 9-31 record, the franchise's worst winning percentage since 2011. Now, the Wings enter the 2025 WNBA season with a renewed sense of hope, as a former college basketball icon leads the franchise into a new era. Related: Wings Release Two of Paige Bueckers' Teammates on Saturday Related: Indiana Fever Turn Heads with Roster Announcement on Thursday
