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Paige Bueckers led the Breeze in a 76-67 loss to top-seeded Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Sykes and the first place Laces on Monday, dropping the Breeze to 4-3 on the season.
Bueckers finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists on 7-of-16 shooting. The loss pushed the Breeze into a three-way tie for fourth place with Rose and Phantom.
Cameron Brink provided a lift off the bench with 11 points and six rebounds, while Dominique Malonga added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kate Martin chipped in 10 points in the setback.
The Laces stayed atop the standings, improving to 6-1 behind a 29-point effort from Sykes, who added four rebounds and four assists. Thomas finished with 17 points, while Naz Hillmon chipped in 15 to lead the Laces to the win.
The Breeze trailed 41-38 at halftime despite a balanced first half from Bueckers, who had 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Malonga added 10 points and six rebounds before the break, while Brink contributed six rebounds.
For the Laces, Sykes and Hillmon carried the early scoring, finishing the half with 13 points apiece.
After three quarters, the target score was set at 76 with the Laces holding a 65-60 edge. The teams traded baskets late, but missed chances and second-chance points off Laces offensive rebounds proved decisive.
The Breeze will hit the road Friday to face Kelsey Plum, Aliyah Boston, Natasha Cloud and the Phantom in Philadelphia.
