Sun Stop Mystics, Clinch No. 4 Playoff Seed

Jonquel Jones (35) does the shake-and-bake on Washington star
Elena Delle Donne to lead the Sun to an 86-76 victory.

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Jonquel Jones scored 14 points and hauled down a career-high 22 rebounds,

and Alyssa Thomas also put up a Double-Double (a career-high 26 points and 10 boards) to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 86-76 victory over the Washington Mystics before 10,953 fans at Capital One Arena. It was JJ’s 19th Double-D of the season, and it was the fifth for Thomas.

In addition, Jones became just the second player in WNBA history to have 20-or-more rebounds in three games in a single season. The other player to do so was Tina Charles when the former UConn star was a rookie for the Sun in 2010. Jones passed Syliva Fowles (369) and Charles (374) to move into second place on the WNBA’s all-time rebound list. Jones, who leads the WNBA in rebounds per game with a 12.0 average, now has 384 boards for the season, just 14 shy of Charles’s record of 398 set in 2010.

Oh, and she proved she could do more than just score and rebound by dishing out a career-high six assists for good measure.

Jasmine Thomas added 20 points for Connecticut, while Shekinna Stricken remained hot as a pistol, knocking down 4 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc for all of her 12 points.

Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with a 24-point, 16-rebound effort, while Krystal Thomas chipped in with seven points and 14 boards. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough popped in 14 off the bench for the Washington, which lost its third straight game and fell to 17-15.

Leading by just two points at intermission, Connecticut took control of the game with a 22-point third quarter and led by 16 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. The Mystics chipped away at that lead over the next five minutes, and trailed by only four poits with 1:15 left to play. But a long two-point jumper and four free throws from Jasmine Thomas in the closing minutes, along with two big rebounds from Stricken, sealed the deal for the Sun.

With the win, the Sun, who improved to 21-11, secured a top-4 seed heading into the postseason, which gives them a first-round bye. They will host a second-round game on Sept. 10 at the Mohegan Sun Arena, with the time and opponent still to be determined.

The Sun will return to action on Friday in Phoenix when they will take on the Mercury. Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on Twitter.

—Staff Reports

Somerset Breaks Out the Brooms, Bluefish Continue Swoon

Empty seats–hundreds and hundreds of empty seats for every single
game–is the primary reason the Bridgeport Bluefish are leaving.

By Bob Phillips

BRIDGEWATER, NJ – The Bridgeport Bluefish are seeing their hopes at a postseason berth in this, their last season in the Park City, slip slide away. The city announced earlier this month that the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, where the Bluefish had called home for the past 20 years, would be transformed into an outdoor amphitheater that will play host to 19 concerts per year beginning in 2019. The picture here shows why: Nobody comes to Bluefish games anymore. While it’s true that the team has not marketed the team well for several years, the simple fact is that the Bluefish—an independent team with no financial support from a parent MLB organization—depend on gate revenue for virtually all of its operating expenses, and they have ranked dead last in the Atlantic League in attendance for the last seven years. Actually, the streak may be longer than that, but the league doesn’t post its attendance figures before 2011.

Regardless, the team will be in much better shape in terms of attendance revenue wherever they may land. High Point, NC, has been mentioned as a place that has expressed interest, as have cities in New York, New Jersey and Texas. The Lone Star State may make the most sense so the Atlantic League can start making a “Southwest Division.” Currently, the only team in the league that isn’t on the East Coast is the Sugar Land (Tex.) Skeeters. I can’t imagine the travel budget that team pays out every year.

And if things don’t change soon for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the city’s American Hockey League team, don’t be surprised to see a similar move taking place. A new downsized version of the Nassau Coliseum is up and ready to go (with about 13,000 seats for hockey—substantially more than Bridgeport) with a solid base of hockey fans. However, it’s not clear if Long Island fans would embrace minor league hockey, and it’s not clear how long the Islanders will continue to play in their current home, Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. The team’s contract has an opt-out clause after the 2018-19 season, and Barclay’s officials are not counting on the team staying beyond that. The new Nassau Coliseum isn’t big enough for an NHL team. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the Islanders move to Hartford and keep their AHL team in nearby Bridgeport?

As for the Webster Bank Arena, if the scenario just described doesn’t play out, the venue might be more suited for an ECHL team than another AHL team. The ECHL is roughly equivalent to AA baseball (the Eastern League, in other words), while the AHL is the equivalent of AAA.

But all this is merely speculation. And besides, this story is about baseball, isn’t it?

OK, you win.

On Sunday, the Somerset Patriots (23-26, 65-54) defeated the Bridgeport Bluefish (23-27, 64-56) 5-2 at TD Bank Ballpark to complete a three-game weekend series sweep. 

Bridgeport took a 1-0 lead against Nieves in the top half of the third inning when Welington Dotel drove in 2017 Liberty Division All-Star D’Arby Myers with an RBI single. Myers had reached base with a one-out infield single. The Bluefish had a golden opportunity for a big inning when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Luis Hernandez, another 2017 All Star, was denied a hit up the middle when Nieves snagged the line drive to end the rally.

Somerset took the lead in the home half of the third when they batted around against Lara, scoring four times on three hits thanks to Kyle Roller, who crushed a grand slam over the right field fence, staking the Patriots to a 4-1 advantage. It was a lead they would not relinquish. It was Roller’s 19th dinger of the season, and his first grand salami.

In the bottom of the fifth, it was once again Roller time as the 29-year-old first baseman drove home his fifth run of the on a fielder’s choice, putting the Pats ahead 5-1.

Bridgeport cut the deficit to 5-2 in the top of the ninth when Dotel drove in Angel Rosa with an RBI double, but that was as close as the ’Fish would get. Indeed, Bridgeport was held to just three runs scored in total for the entire series. Myers and Dotel each had two of the ten Bridgeport hits as the Bluefish recorded ten or more hits in a single contest for the 67th in 120 games played this season. For

Somerset starting pitcher Efrain Nieves (3-4) picked up the win. He allowed just one run on six hits in with three walks (plus one hit batsman), three strikeouts in five innings. Bridgeport starter Rainy Lara (9-8) was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs (one earned run) on eight hits (one home run) in five inning. Lara walked three (plus one hit batsman) and struck out two batters.

The Bluefish now head to Waldorf, Md., where they will continue their seven-game road trip with the first of four games vs. the 2017 First Half Freedom Division Champion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at Regency Furniture Stadium. The ’Fish will return to the Ballpark at Harbor Yard on Friday when they host in the York Revolution for a four-game Labor Day Weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:12 p.m. on Friday night. It will be another “Freebie Friday” at the ballpark, with the first 500 fans throught the turnstiles receiving a special Bluefish logo pin. Tickets are available at the Bluefish box office or online by clicking HERE.

—with staff reports