Second-Half Surge Leads To Second Sun Win

Alyssa Thomas (25) had a Double-Double (15 points,
10 boards)  in the Sun’s second straight victory.

By Colleen White

UNCASVILLE—Jonquel Jones scored 25 points and Jasmine Thomas added 15 to lead the Connecticut Sun over the Indiana Fever, 88-77, before 4,781 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night. The Fever led by two at the first turn, 23-21, but the Connecticut defense kicked in and the Sun took a 40-37 lead at intermission. Jones scored 14 points in the first half.

Connecticut came out of the locker room en fuego and went on a 19-9 run to open the third period, taking the first double-digit lead of the contest, leading 62-52 at the third turn and never looking back. Courtney Williams added 13 points and Alyssa Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds for Connecticut (2-0), which has won nine straight home games dating back to last season.

The Sun were particularly effective shooting from long range. Jones was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and the Sun banged down 10 three-pointers overall, shooting 45.5 percent from downtown. Connecticut also held a huge advantage over Indiana on the boards, out-rebounding the visitors by a 37-26 margin—including a 1-7 advantage off the offensive glass.

“We were able to string together some stops, make some good baskets and Courtney (Williams) got going late,” said Alyssa Thomas. “JJ (Jonquel Jones) carries us all night being consistent and staying on the boards. We stayed confident till the end and closed out the game.”

Indiana’s Erica Wheeler turned in an outstanding performance, leading all scorers with 26 points—the second-highest total of her career—and adding a game high nine assists. Candice Dupree added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Indiana (1-1), which opened the season with an 81-80 victory over the New York Liberty, but which hasn't won back-to-back games to start a season since 2012. In the season opener, rookie Teaira McCowan hit her first game-winning shot at any level against the Liberty. Betnijah Laney matched a career high with a game-high three steals.

Dupree had the misfortune of drawing JJ—a tough match-up for anyone in the league. Jones is not only tall (6-6), but is adept at knocking down the long ball.

“She is hard to guard,” said Dupree in an understatement. “She is ridiculously tall and she can play on the block as well as shoot the three ball. We had some opportunities where we could have switched, but it’s just lack of communication. We have to open our mouth, get in her space and limit her touches.”

Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller was obviously happy to get a W.

“To Indiana’s credit, they attacked us all night and they did a nice job of attacking us downhill,” said Miller, whose team improved to 2-0. “While we did do a good job of keeping them off the foul line, they were able to make 35 field goals, which is a high number in this league. They are dangerous, athletic and have multiple players that can attack you, but we did enough in stretches defensively and offensively tonight.”

Miller then praised his team’s overall balance.

“AT (Alyssa Thomas), who arguably looked like the best player in the league this past weekend, struggled to finish tonight, but still [had] 10 boards. Tonight was JJ’s (Jonquel Jones) night to get points, and our bench was important in stretches. Bria Holmes gave us a spark off the bench. I did not call Rachel Banham’s number in the first half, and she didn’t feel sorry for herself and played well in her minutes in the second half. Brionna Jones is just going to continue getting better and gave us a strong interior presence. In stretches tonight our bench gave us enough spark to get to the finish line.”

The Sun improve to 2-0 and now head west for their first road trip of the 2019 season starting Friday night in Los Angeles where they will challenge the 0-1 Sparks. This, of course, will be the first chance for the Sun to play Chiney Ogwumike in an enemy uniform. The Sun traded Ogwumike to LA prior to the season, where she joins her older sister, Nneka.

Sun Spots

• This was the second straight game Jonquel Jones scored in double digits. Her 25 points were her season high.
• This is the second straight season the Sun has won its first two games. They have a way to go before they can match 2018’s season start, however. Last year the Sun opened the season with five straight W’s.
• This was Jasmine Thomas’s second straight game scoring in double digits (15 points). She also chipped in with a season-high seven assists.
• Alyssa Thomas’s 10 boards was her best performance off the glass this season.

—with staff reports

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