Paige Bueckers Makes WNBA History Against Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries welcomed the Dallas Wings to Chase Center on Friday evening where they hoped to snap a three-game losing streak. Already mired in a slump, Golden State was then dealt the bad news that All-Star forward Kayla Thornton would miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury.
Despite owning just a 7-17 record, Dallas entered this game coming off an impressive 87-63 win over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. The Wings also have No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers who is amid a historic first professional campaign, which continued against Golden State on Friday.
Just one game after tying Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark as the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 300 career points and 100 career assists (via Wings), Bueckers made more history against the Valkyries on Friday night.
Surpassing 350 career points in the first half of this game at Chase Center, the former UConn star became the fastest in league history to reach that mark while also tallying at least 100 assists.
Paige Bueckers is the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 350 PTS & 100 AST. pic.twitter.com/WgCUZqwFHY
— Real Sports (@realapp_) July 26, 2025
For the Valkyries, it was not just Bueckers’ historic achievement they were on the opposing side of in the first half of this game. The team entered halftime trailing 36-30, struggling to generate much offense in the absence of their leading scorer.
Golden State’s three-game losing streak has the team on the outside looking in at the WNBA playoff picture. Trying to become the first expansion team in league history to make the postseason in its inaugural campaign, the Valkyries have their work cut out for them — starting with Bueckers and Dallas on Friday.
Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.