CHICAGO (AP) — Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings became the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest, scoring 30 points in the championship round Friday nightThe No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft hit her first six shots in the finals to get into rhythm. She edged Bridget Carleton, from the expansion Portland Fire, who had 29 points in the opening round. Carleton got off to a slow start in the finals and couldn’t recover, finishing with 19 points. Fudd’s total matched Sabrina Ionescu’s winning number from last season. Fudd’s Dallas teammate Alysha Clark was wearing a Fudd’s No. 3 jersey. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks led team Washington to the Shooting Stars championship to tipoff the All-Star festivities. The trio scored 31 points to edge Seattle’s three in the finals, with Banks hitting two of the 4-point shots from just inside halfcourt to put the team over the top.
Carleton had a stellar first-round, scoring 29 points. She hit 13 of her first 16 shots. Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft this past April by Dallas, also had a great opening round scoring 24 points. She made four of her final five shots.Carleton’s hot shooting in the opening round brought the crowd, which included Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dwyane Wade and Sheryl Swoopes, to its feet.
