Photo by Bill Harper
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| Alyssa Thomas scored 17
points and added a career-high nine assists in the Sun's 96-89 win over the Seattle Storm on Thursday. |
UNCASVILLE – Jasmine Thomas scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Connecticut Sun over the Seattle Storm, 96-89, before 8,668 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday night. The sixth-year guard out of Duke had a lights-out kind of night, banging in 12-of-16 shots (75 percent) from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Alyssa Thomas added 17 points and a career-best nine assists.
Shekinna Stricklen chipped in with 14 points and four boards. It was the sixth time this season the fifth-year pro from Tennessee has scored in double digits. Jonquel Jones finished with her third straight double-double—the 11th time this season she has scored 10 or more points, and it was her eighth Double-D of the season.
The Sun jumped out to a 31-26 lead at the first turn, and doubled their advantage to 10 points, 48-38, at intermission. The Thomas girls led the Sun scoring parade in the first half with Jasmine putting up 15 points followed by Alyssa with 13.
Connecticut held a seemingly insurmountable 17-point lead early in the fourth period when Seattle mounted a furious comeback.
“They ran in transition and hit the open three,” said UConn legend Breanna Stewart. “We know they are a three-point shooting team, but Strick (Stricklen) and Jasmine Thomas… they caught fire.”
“In this league, you have to keep going; you have to keep playing," said Sue Bird, herself a legend in Storrs—albeit a generation (or two) before Stewie. “Seventeen points sounds like a lot, but because of the level of play and parity in this league, in reality it's just one good run and you're back in it. We just stayed with it, and were able to make a run at the right time, but they made some plays at the end to secure the game."
When Crystal Langhorne nailed two from the charity stripe with just 1:19 left in regulation, the Sun lead had virtually vanished, with Connecticut holding the slimmest of leads, 90-89.
But Stricklen hit a clutch jumper from the baseline giving the Sun a three-point advantage with 1:06 remaining in regulation.
“I’m a shooter,” said the 6-2 forward. “I knew they were going to run out at me. I had hit four threes already. We moved the ball very well before that, so people don’t really know who’s going to take the shot.”
After a Seattle turnover—Courtney Williams picked Jewel Lloyd’s pocket—Jasmine Thomas drove the nail into Seattle’s coffin with a layup giving Connecticut a 94-89 lead with 33 ticks left on the clock.
Stewart (she of four national championships in four years) led the Storm with a 22-point 10-rebound effort. Loyd added 21 points, and Bird moved within two assists of 2,500 for her career. Ticha Penicheiro, the only player ahead of Bird, holds the WNBA record with 2,599.
Connecticut has now won seven of its last 10 games, and improves to 7-7 on the season, tied with Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind second place New York and 2.5 games behind first-place Washington. Seattle dropped its third straight game, falling to 6-8.
“It was a big win for us in this stretch,” said Sun head coach Curt Miller. “It’s not easy to win in this league in a stretch where this is our fourth game in seven days. Our players mustered up the energy to make plays in the fourth quarter when that game got tight. Give credit to Seattle. It was a really, really well-played game. I’m proud that we found a way to the finish line when Seattle made that run.”
“They have strengths, and they played to those strengths,” said Bird, four-time Olympic gold medalist, of her opponents. "Both of the Thomases played really well today, and they try to get them the ball—especially Alyssa Thomas. What makes her tough is she has guard abilities, and when she plays the ‘4’ [power forward] in the free throw line area, she's able to make plays for herself or her teammates, and it opens things up for the shooters.”
The Sun now head to Indianapolis where they will take on the Indiana Fever on Saturday. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on CSNNE and streamed on League Pass.
—with staff reports
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