Paige Bueckers cemented herself as the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year on Wednesday night with a historic 44-point performance, but her Dallas Wings were stunned at the buzzer by Kelsey Plum , who lifted the Los Angeles Sparks to an 81-80 victory that kept their playoff hopes alive.

Bueckers' 44 points tied Cynthia Cooper-Dyke for the highest-scoring game by a rookie in league history. However, it must be noted that Cooper-Dyke's effort came in the league's inaugural 1997 season when she was 34 years old and had already played professionally overseas. The previous record by a true rookie was 40 points by Candace Parker in 2008.

In addition to tying Cooper-Dyke's rookie scoring record, Bueckers accomplished the following feats on Wednesday:

Highest-scoring game by a player this seaso

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