Maddy Siegrist Returns to Dallas Wings, Scores 13 in Loss

Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist stepped back onto the court Tuesday night, marking her return after an 18-game hiatus due to a knee injury. In her first game back, she scored 13 points during the Wings' 85-76 defeat to the New York Liberty.

"It's been a long process building up to the moment. I want to try to help my team," Siegrist expressed post-game. "I wanted to come out with a win tonight, but to get the first one under your belt is great."

Coach Chris Koclanes implemented a minutes restriction for Siegrist, allowing her to play for 15 minutes. The Poughkeepsie, New York native humorously noted at shootaround that she would have to inform the 150 friends and family members in attendance not to urge her to play longer.

"I'll need to explain to my grandma that I can only play so many minutes," she joked, laughter punctuating her words.

Siegrist made an immediate impact, scoring shortly after entering the game four minutes into the first quarter. Previously, she led NCAA Division I in scoring while at Villanova during the 2022-23 season, ahead of Caitlin Clark.

Her rookie season was marred by injuries, limiting her to just 11 games. In those appearances, she averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds, achieving her only double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a game against the Minnesota Lynx before her injury on June 8.

"I'm excited. Oh my gosh, yes," Siegrist said before the game. "I'm excited to get back out there. As a competitor you always have expectations. I just want to feel good and comfortable. My minutes will be limited so that takes some of the pressure off."