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| Alyssa Thomas poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Sun over the Las Vegas Aces in a key WNBA matchup on Friday night. |
By Bob Phillips
UNCASVILLE—Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 27
points—one less than her career best—and teammate Courtney Williams added 24 as
the Connecticut Sun took a step toward evading the first-round
single-elimination playoff game by gutting out an 89-84 win over the Las Vegas
Aces before 7,483 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night. The game was
televised in New England on NESN+ and throughout much of North America (sans
Mexico) on NBA TV and NBA TV Canada.
The Sun started strong and led by four, 27-23, at the first turn.
But the Aces charged back in the second period and trailed by just one point,
47-46, at intermission. Indeed, after trailing by as many as 11 points early,
the Aces built an 11-point lead in the third period, but as has become customary
with the Sun, Connecticut regrouped and charged back with a 15-0 run late in
the period to lead by a 72-70 margin at the third pole.
“We didn’t come out and play in the third quarter like we were
supposed to,” a disappointed Las Vegas head coach and Bill Laimbeer explained of his team letting the game slip away. “[The Sun]
got the momentum. We came out to play [pick-up] basketball… not to win an
important game, and it showed. We still should have won the game,” added the former Detroit Piston bad
boy
With the Sun leading 87-85 with 30.2 seconds remaining in
regulation, the Aces’ Jackie Young missed a short pull-up jumper. Williams grabbed
the rebound and proceeded work clock before nailing a jumper from the
free-throw line with 10.2 ticks left on the lock, making it a two-possession
game and, for all practical purposes, sealing the deal for the Sun.
“That’s how I’m set up. You know, I want the ball, I know I can
score whenever,” said Williams, a diminutive fourth-year point guard out of
South Florida. “That’s how I felt. I wanted the ball in my hand. I feel like
everybody got a confidence in me and know I can go get a bucket so I put a ball
in my hand.”
Williams, originally selected No. 8 overall by Phoenix in the 2016
draft, played marginally with the Mercury. She was traded to the Sun in June of
that year and has flourished in Connecticut, generally regarded as the citadel
of women’s basketball in the U.S., under Sun head coach and general manager
Curt Miller’s stewardship.
Liz Cambage led the Aces with 18 points, while former UConn
nemesis A’ja Wilson added 17, Dearica Hamby scored 14 off the bench, and Kayla
McBride had 10 for Vegas, which fell to 19-10, first place in the Western
Conference and third overall in the WNBA.
The Sun, who improved 20-8 (14-1 at home), tied the Washington
Mystics, 85-78 losers to the Chicago Sky, for the best record in the league. It’s
important to note that Connecticut owns the tiebreaker over both the Mystics and
Aces should the Sun end the season tied with either team (or both). The eight
teams with the best record, regardless of conference affiliation, reach the
postseason in the current WNBA playoff format, with the top two seeds receiving
a pass into the semis.
“It’s huge, you
know, with positioning and just having the tie-break over people,” said a
relieved Thomas after the game. “We are getting to the end [of the regular
season] so we knew the importance of this game tonight. We don’t
want to fall past the two spot. The one-and-done’s aren't too good to us. It's
super important for us to finish in the top two. If we get to the semifinals
and have a best of five, we're going to be a problem, so that’s what we're
fighting for.”
Thomas is referring to the fact that the while the Sun have
received first-round byes the past two seasons, they have lost in the second
round—ironically to Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury both years—in the
one-and-done second round. And not falling into the three spot is particularly
important when you realize that besides Connecticut’s gaudy record, the Sun are
below .500 (6-7) when playing away from the cozy confines of the Mohegan Sun
Arena.
The
win—Connecticut’s fourth consecutive victory and eighth straight at home—marks the
third consecutive season that the Sun have won 20 or more games. It’s also the
first time in franchise history has put together three straight 20-or-more win
seasons, and it’s no coincidence that Curt Miller has been at the Sun’s helm
throughout this period of success.
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| Courtney Williams scored 24 points, in Connecticut's win. |
“That’s
a big win in an incredible environment,” said Miller, who is positioned well
for his first potential WNBA Coach of the Year Award with each win. “We talked
at the end of shoot around today that our playoffs essentially start today.
It’s gonna feel like a playoff game. The good news is that regardless of what
happened tonight we weren’t going to be out of the playoffs. It wasn’t going to
be a one and done. We were going to wake up and be fine, so let’s lay it all on
the line and play hard. And I can’t be more proud.”
Miller
admitted his team dug itself a little bit of a hole in the second period. He
said Las Vegas played much like their coach did when he was an active player,
pounding the paint and dominating the glass alongside Dennis Rodman and Hartford
native Rick Mahorn with the Pistons in the late ‘80s.
“They
were crushing us with points in the paint at that one stretch,” continued
Miller. “But the combination of Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, willing us at
the offensive end and then some intense defensive stops in the second half, a
better job of keeping them off the foul line really contributed to a big win.
That’s a big win for us.
“So
really proud,” he continued, “14-1 at home and that crowd deserves a lot of credit. They give
us energy when our tank is on empty and they continue to give us energy. We
don’t take it for granted that we get to play in front of an incredible fan
base.”
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| Lindsay Whalen's No. 13 joined Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek and Nykesha Sales in the rafters Friday night.. |
The
Sun now hit the sunny skies and fly to Los Angeles where they will take on the
Ogwumike sisters and the 17-10 Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday. Tip-off at the
Staples Center is at 5 p.m., ET, and the game will be televised on NESN+, NBA
TV, Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV Canada. The Aces continue a three game
road-trip in Minnesota on Sunday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be
televised on NBA TV, Fox Sports North and TSN.
Salute to Whalen
Former Sun star Lindsay Whalen had her Number 13 added to the rafters
alongside those of other former Sun greats Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek and
Bloomfield native Nykesha Sales. Whalen helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2004 and 2005
after being drafted with the No. 4 overall pick by the Sun in 2004. Whalen
played in 197 games, scoring 2,290 points and dishing out 964 assists before
leaving the Sun and ending her career with her home-state Minnesota Lynx.
This is the third time Whalen has had her number retired. The
University of Minnesota, where Whalen starred as a collegian and currently
coaches, retired her number in 2005, while the Lynx retired her jersey in June.
Rachel Banham, another former Gopher star who is currently laid up with a left
ankle injury, wore a Whalen No. 13 Connecticut Sun jersey while on the bench.
Sun Spots:
- As impressive as three straight playoff appearances may be, the Sun have a way to go to match their franchise record. Connecticut reached the playoffs six straight seasons between 2003 and 2008 after relocating to the Nutmeg State from Orlando, where they were known as the Miracle, prior to the 2003 season.
- With her 24 points last night, Courtney Williams reached the 20-or-more points bar for the third time this season. It was also the 18th time the 5-8 point guard out of USF has scored in double digits.
- Alyssa Thomas hauled down 12 rebounds and was the only player on the Sun with a double-double. It was her fifth Double D of the season, and the 18th time she has scored in double digits. Dearica Hamby (14 points, 10 boards) had a Double D for the Aces.
- Former UConn star Morgan Tuck finished with seven points for the Sun—all scored in the crucial fourth period.
- With her 28 points, Liz Cambage has scored in double-digits in 25 of the Aces 29 games this season.
—with staff reports
#ctsun / @ConnecticutSun / #wnba / @wnba / #alyssathomas
/ @alyssathomas / #courtneywilliams / @courtneywilliams / #curtmiller /
@curtmiller / #lindsaywhalen / @lindsaywhalen
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