Valkyries coach reveals plan that denied Paige Bueckers a historic WNBA moment

Paige Bueckers came up just short of another milestone during a rather impressive WNBA rookie season.

Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts during the second half against the Golden State Valkyries at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers' rookie season couldn't be going any better from a statistical standpoint, but a 9-point outing in a loss to Golden State was enough for the Dallas Wings guard to get her streak of 30 games scoring in double figures snapped.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase commented on how they were able to stop the dynamic scorer, as they came away with a 90-81 win.

The Valkyries are the only WNBA team to hold Paige Bueckers below 10 points in a game as the rookie only scored 9 today.

Bueckers had the longest active streak of double-digit scoring games (30) before today. pic.twitter.com/UOnqncNIn1

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 24, 2025

READ MORE: Mavericks, NBA legend gives Paige Bueckers much-needed advice

Paige Bueckers Struggled Immensely Against Golden State

Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket as Golden State Valkyries center Iliana Rupert (12) defends during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"We matched (Kaila Charles) up with her, because Paige just had a 44-point game," Nakase told reporters following the defensive onslaught. "We all watched it. We all saw her. She is an elite scorer in this league, rookie or no rookie, that's impressive what she's been doing."

Nakase says even though Charles should get most of the credit for the way she was able to stop Bueckers from taking over the game and springing an upset, Golden State was prepared for whatever it was thrown its way.

"Just her ability to do the step back, the floaters, the deep threes, we knew it was going to be a team effort so we matched her up with (Charles) but at the end of the day, too, it was team defense," Nakase said.

Nakese added that while Bueckers is a dominant presence, she sometimes struggles in key situations especially when perimeter defenders are too much for Bueckers to handle.

"Just credit to our whole team being locked in because she is not an easy coverage," Nakese said. "She demands a lot of attention. So again, just credit to the team, especially without fouling is huge."

Former Northwestern women's basketball legend Veronica Burton noticed Charles's abilities firsthand since they became Valkyries teammates. It translated in the victory, which Burton says is only a sign of things to come.

"Her ability to come in and affect everything, not just offensively and defensively, but who she is as a person," Burton said of Charles. "It's a major testament to come back (against) the team that waived you and play 35 minutes and impact the game. That is a big testament to who she is as a player but also a person."

Charles Shut Down Bueckers Every Chance She Could

Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket as Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles (6) defends during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Even though the Wings won't make the playoffs this season, Bueckers is already turning into one of the WNBA's most prominent stars, alongside being a key pillar in the Wings rebuild in Dallas.

The Wings' next game sees them host the Conneticut Sun, with tip set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

READ MORE: WNBA analyst gives immense praise to Paige Bueckers

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