The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, proved why she is Breeze’s best offensive weapon. However, that wasn't enough.

Breeze played against Vinyl this Saturday, and things didn’t end well. Vinyl handed Breeze an 81-66 defeat that came with Rhyne Howard's 30, Dearica Hamby's 21, and Brittney Griner's 17 points. Although Bueckers led a comeback with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists within 20 minutes, it was still too late.

Paige Bueckers scored 13 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter alone. However, Vinyl didn’t let Breeze catch up. They were down 50-30 at halftime, and the deficit grew to 70-49 after the third quarter. To sum up, Bueckers’ last-hour comeback couldn’t flip the outcome.

However, Paige Bueckers kept attacking. She was perfect from the free-throw line, going 3-for-3, and also drew a technical foul. That wasn’t enough to stop the Howard-Griner-Hamby trio. But it was enough to give a warning shot that this Breeze Guard is ruthless on the free-throw line.

“I was happy that she kept shooting it. Her midrange wasn’t going in the first half, and she stuck with it. That’s what good shooters do”, Kate Martin added after the game, “She’s just an excellent basketball player.”

However, this kind of dependency raises a question about Breeze’s roster.

How Paige Bueckers stacks up against Unrivaled peers

Bueckers has been managing 18.3 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds per game. Her peers aren’t doing too badly. Rickea Johnson had shot 13 points and 4 rebounds, while Dominique Malonga also added 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Dearica Hamby set a season high of 40 points the last time she played against Hive. There’s also Rhyne Howard, who has been shooting 48.3% from three-point range.

Both Breeze and Vinyl are standing at 2-2 so far in the season. And Breeze will go up against Mist next. It's be an interesting game as Paige Bueckers and Jackson will face Dallas teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally.

So, what do you think? Will Breeze’s roster be able to rack up a victory this time?

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi