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| The Connecticut Sun offer each other congratulations after they topped Dallas, 70-66, on Wednesday. It was the first time Connecticut has won two straight games this season. |
By Bob Phillips
BRADENTON, Fla.—DeWanna Bonner scored 18 points and
grabbed six rebounds, and Alyssa
Thomas added 17 points and grabbed seven
boards to lead the Connecticut Sun to a comeback victory over the Dallas Wings
70-66 at the IMG Academy on Wednesday night. Dallas had the advantage early in
the game, leading at the first pole, 20-15, and taking a nine-point lead into
the locker room at intermission. The Sun kicked it into gear in the third
period and cut the Wings lead to three, 49-46, entering the fourth quarter.
Bonner curled off a high screen and drove to the basket for
a layup with 10.8 seconds left in regulation. Dallas was off on a 3-pointer at the other end
and Jasmine Thomas secured the defensive rebound to seal it.
Jasmine Thomas finished with 10 points for the Sun, who
trailed by as many as 12 points. With her 18 points, Bonner moved past former UConn
star Maya Moore for 22nd on the WNBA career scoring list. Moore has been on sabbatical
from basketball for the past two seasons.
Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 19 points and Allisha Gray
had 15 points and eight rebounds. Tyasha Harris added 13 points for the Wings,
who fell to 3-8. Two former UConn stars, Katie Lou Samuelson (2 points in 17
minutes) and Moriah Jefferson (no points in seven minutes) had quiet games for
Dallas.
Ogunbowale was limited to four points in the first half after
picking up her third foul with nine minutes left in the second quarter. She
scored 11 of Dallas' 15 points in the third period, and sank a jumper with 31
seconds left in regulation to pull the Wings within 68-66.
The win represents the first time the Sun, who improved to
3-6, have won two consecutive games this season. The Sun topped the Atlanta
Dream, 93-82, in their last outing on Monday.
“That’s a big step in the right direction,” said Bonner, the
former Auburn star in her first year with Connecticut. “Maybe five or six games
ago, we wouldn’t have this result. Tonight we showed a lot of fight; a lot of heart.”
“I thought we got out-toughed in the first half; took it on
the chin and responded.” said Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller. “And
I thought we showed real toughness in the second half. We’ve got veteran
leadership. DeWanna and AT’s [Alyssa Thomas] Physicality; DeWanna’s emotion;
Jasimine [Thomas}’s leadership. And then Briann January didn’t score, but there
was a veteran presence about us—a toughness in the second half”
With the win, the Sun improve to 3-6, while the Wings fall
to 3-6. Next up for the Sun in this whirlwind season will be a return date with
the Chicago Sky on Friday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at “The Wubble,” and the game
will be streamed live on Twitter.
—with staff reports
#ctsun / @ConnecticutSun / #wnba / @wnba /
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