Sun Deal Aces Hard Hand

By Bob Phillips

Chiney Ogwumike (13) congratulates Jasmine Thomas after Thomas
scored two of her career-high 30 points. Ogumike added 15 points herself
as the Sun hammered the Las Vegas Aces, 109-88, on Sunday.

UNCASVILLE—Led by Jasmine Thomas’s career-high 30 points, the Connecticut Sun played as hot as the scorching weather outside and blitzed the Los Vegas Aces, 109-88, before 6,791 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday afternoon. It was “Rock the Pink” day at the Sun—a day to honor survivors of breast cancer and awareness of the hideous disease.

Thomas, who matched career high totals in made field goals (12) and three-pointers (5), scored 20 points in the first half alone. That, in large part, contributed to the Sun entering the locker room leading 64-49 at intermission—a franchise record. Connecticut’s 26 field goals in the first half also set a new standard for the team.

Chiney Ogwumike added 15 points and seven rebounds while Morgan Tuck had 10 points and six rebounds. Former South Carolina star and UConn nemesis A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 24 points (10-for-16 from the field), while Kelsey Plum added 21 points, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, and Kayla McBride (17 points) also broke double digits for Vegas.

Connecticut, which won its fourth straight game, built its largest lead. 58-37, when an Alyssa Thomas free throw with 2:15 remaining until halftime. That capped a 23-10 run by the home team. 

The Aces, who fell to 12-15, closed the gap to 71-61 with 6:04 left in the game after going on a 10-3 run, but the Sun stopped the bleeding by going on a 17-8 tear to take an 88-69 lead rounding the third pole.

Connecticut’s lead grew to as much as 23 points after Courtney Williams nailed a jumper staking Connecticut to a 105-82 advantage with just 4:50 remaining in regulation, and the Sun went on cruise control from that point on. For a complete box score, click HERE.

The Sun, who improved to 16-12, now continue their push to the playoffs with a visit to Dallas on Wednesday and Chicago on Friday before returning to the cozy confines of the Mohegan Sun for the last four games of the regular season. The final home stand tips off with a game against former UConn star Stefanie Dolson and the Chicago Sky on Sunday, August 12. Tip-off is at 3 p.m., and the game will be televised on NBA-TV.

“That’s a big one for us tonight, a really important win,” said Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller after the game. “Hats off to a crowd. On a nice Sunday, they gave us the energy and kept pushing us through. We had 20 points off their turnovers tonight [and] turned those three talented guards [Moriah Jefferson, Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride] over five times and got more deflections on top of it, so there was much more disruption tonight.

Coach was particularly pleased with the play of Jasmine Thomas. 

“Unbelievable, she got us going,” continued Miller. “She stayed really aggressive. She made some pull-up jumpers, but then she started to make the three and you saw her hunting for it. She willed us. She really wanted to play this game. You could see an edge in her going in and we’re tough to beat when we get that kind of play out of our leader.”

“It’s definitely a good time for us,” added Jasmine Thomas. “They play such a fast-paced game that it’s likely that it’s going to be a high-scoring game. It’s a lot of possessions and when you shoot well and you’re scoring, it can be a high scoring game.”

Sun Spots

• Guard Jasmine Thomas led the Sunin scoring, finishing with a career-high of 30 points shooting 80 percent (12-of-15) from the field. This is her third game this season scoring 20 or more points. She also matched a career high of five made three-point field goals and 12 made field goals.
• Connecticut’s 46 field goals made in the game set a new franchise record. The previous record was 43, set on Sept. 16, 2016 vs. Dallas.
• In the first half, Connecticut set a franchise record with 64 points and 26 field goals. The previous record for points in a half was 61, set on 6/15/12 against New York and the previous record for made field goals was 24 in that same game.
• The Sun fell one point shy of matching their single-game franchise high of 110 points. The 109-point total represents the fifth time this season Connecticut has scored 100 or more points in a game.
• Connecticut shot 68.4 percent from the floor in the first half—the team’s season high.  The Sun also matched a season high of seven three-point field goals in the first half.
• Chiney Ogwumike finished with 15 points and led the team in rebounding with seven.
• Morgan Tuck came off the bench to collect 10 points for her sixth time this season with 10 or more points. Tuck also finished with a season high of three assists.

Sun To Host Blood Drive

The Connecticut Sun will host a blood drive to benefit the American Red Cross at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Free parking is available, and anyone who donates will receive a free ticket to the August 14^th game vs. Dallas, as well as a tour of Mohegan Sun Arena. Fans are encouraged to register to donate ahead of time to secure a specific time. Visit https://rdcrss.org/2NLpVsq and enter code CT SUN to sign up for an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The Red Cross is facing a crucial blood shortage and is issuing an emergency call for eligible blood and platelet donors to give now and help save lives. In addition to a free ticket and arena tour, anyone who donates will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card via email. 

Each donation can save up to three lives. To donate blood through the American Red Cross, individuals must be at least 17 years of age, weigh 110 pounds and be in general good health

—with staff reports