The Dallas Wings just won their 25th game of the season right after the 2026 FIBA World Cup, and Wings star guard Paige Bueckers made a comparison between international and WNBA play that cracked even Jessica Shepard up. As the Wings defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in a 97-77 game, Bueckers’ statement showcased the reality of playing in the FIBA tournament. 

“It’s like you’re playing in mud, and the paint is always clogged. There’s no defensive three seconds in the lane, so seeing this was kind of like eye-opening, where teams have to clear the paint,” Bueckers said in the post-game interview.

“There’s not as much help side and weak side defenders clogging the lane. My teammates just doing a really good job of seeing me cutting, moving without the ball, getting me downhill opportunities, the plays that we have, so just trying to be aggressive that way. But honestly, though, like seeing the difference between FIBA basketball and this, there is definitely a difference for sure.”

Paige Bueckers’ response came when she was asked if she could attribute her increased physicality against the Sparks to playing in the 2026 FIBA World Cup. True enough, Team USA’s offense across the FIBA tournament has led them to their fifth consecutive gold. The squad, led by Breanna Stewart, averaged 54.2% from inside the paint across the six games they played, third on the list of participating countries. They shot a total of 148 from 273 attempts, forcing defending players into the paint with aggressive downhill plays. 

Team USA was second only to Team France in points scored over the course of the tournament, with 535 points made. Bueckers, who averaged 16.1 minutes played over six games, made 59.1% of her points from inside the paint, where she was heavily guarded by opposing players.

In contrast, in the game against the Sparks, Bueckers made only 20% of her shots from beyond the arc. The rest of her scoring came from within the paint, as she made 61.5% of her field goals. This is a testament to the difference between playing in FIBA and playing in the WNBA. Still, Bueckers led the Wings with the 19 points she made over 26 minutes of play. She erupted in the first half, scoring 15 points, mostly from assists off of Jessica Shepard. Bueckers also added six rebounds and three assists.

Shepard, who was sitting next to Bueckers when she made the statement, found it hilarious. She reached over, patted her young guard on the shoulder, and welcomed her to the basketball in Europe. Bueckers responded with a comment of her own, giggling with Shepard.

“Like, how do guards score in this game?” she asked

She wasn’t the only player pushing up the Wings’ score, as Shepard, Maddy Siegrist, and Arike Ogunbowale added 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Shepard also logged her fifth triple-double of the season, adding 11 rebounds and 12 assists. This puts her third on the list of most triple-doubles made in a single season in WNBA history. The first and second spots are both held by Alyssa Thomas, who had eight triple-doubles in 2025 and six in 2023.

The Wings bench added valuable numbers too, with Kitija Laksa and Aziaha James combining for 20 points and five more rebounds. While Wings head coach Jose Fernandez was not pleased with his team’s first-half performance, the Wings managed to pull off a win after being tied at 44-each after the first two quarters. 

With this win, the Wings improved their season record to 25-16, tying their franchise record, set by the Detroit Shock in 2003. They now stand seventh in the league, having just crossed the New York Liberty. Paige Bueckers and Co. will now look to further extend their five-game winning streak with a victory against the Phoenix Mercury on September 19, albeit without Azzi Fudd, who is out for the season with an injury.