Paige Bueckers scores season-high 31 and the Wings beat the Mercury 85-70

Bueckers shot 14-of-20 from the field for the third 30-point game of her career.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored a season-high 31 points, Jessica Shepard had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and the Dallas Wings beat the Phoenix Mercury 85-70 on Thursday night.

Bueckers scored 24 points in the first half on 11-of-14 shooting, capped by a 3-pointer with 54.2 seconds left to give the Wings a 45-33 lead. Dallas also outscored Phoenix 25-16 in the third quarter.

Dallas, which led by as many as 22 points, had its lead cut to 80-70 with 1:28 left after sitting Bueckers with a big lead. But Phoenix was called for an offensive foul on its next possession, and Li Yueru completed a three-point play with 42.5 seconds remaining for a 13-point lead to seal it.

Bueckers, who also had six rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes, recorded the 17th 30-point game in the WNBA this season. The 30-point performance was the third of her career and first since setting the rookie scoring record last August.

Azzi Fudd also scored 17 for Dallas (8-4). Shepard secured her 26th career double-double and seventh of the season.

Lexi Held led Phoenix (4-10) with 17 points. Kahleah Copper was 3 of 10 from the field to finish with 13 points. Alyssa Thomas had six points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.

Up next

Phoenix: Begins a three-game homestand on Saturday against Los Angeles.

Dallas: Plays at Portland Fire (6-8, 0-4 Western Conference) in Portland, Oregon; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. CST

BOTTOM LINE: Dallas Wings takes on the Portland Fire after Paige Bueckers scored 31 points in the Wings’ 85-70 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.

The Fire are 0-4 in conference matchups. Portland is eighth in the Western Conference with 21.1 defensive rebounds per game, led by Emily Engstler, averaging 3.6.

The Wings have gone 4-2 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks ninth in the WNBA, scoring 37.8 points per game in the paint, led by Jessica Shepard, averaging 10.2.

Portland is shooting 45.3% from the field this season, 1.5 percentage points lower than the 46.8% Dallas allows opponents. Dallas averages 87.9 points per game, 0.9 more than the 87.0 Portland allows.

The Fire and Wings match up Saturday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bridget Carleton is scoring 13.3 points per game with 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Fire. Carla Leite is averaging 13.3 points and 5.4 assists over the past 10 games.

Bueckers is averaging 19.8 points and 5.8 assists for the Wings. Shepard is averaging 13.9 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting 60.0% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fire: 4-6, averaging 80.0 points, 28.5 rebounds, 18.9 assists, 6.7 steals, and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.2 points per game.

Wings: 7-3, averaging 87.6 points, 34.1 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 7.5 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.9 points.

INJURIES: Fire: None listed.

Wings: Odyssey Sims: day to day (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.