By Bob Phillips
Photos by Bill Harper
 |
| Alyssa Thomas goes lane for two of her 21 points. Thomas had a double-double in Connecticut's fifth straight victory. |
UNCASVILLE– Alyssa
Thomas and Jonquel Jones put up double-doubles to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 96-88
victory over the Dallas Wings before 6,898
fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday night. Thomas had 21 points and 13
rebounds—her career best—while Jones scored 19 points, hauled down 16 boards
and added five blocked shots to her bottom line to spur the Sun’s fifth
straight victory—and their eighth straight win at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Courtney Williams added 19 points, Shekinna Stricklen had
15, and Alex Bentley popped in 12 for the Sun, who clinched a berth in the WNBA
playoffs with the win. It will be their first appearance in the postseason
since 2012, when Mike Thibault coached the team.
Allisha Gray led Dallas, which fell to 13-16, with a
career-high 21 points. Glory Johnson chipped in with a double-double (20 points,
13 boards), and former UConn nemesis Skylar Diggins-Smith had 19 for Dallas,
which fell to 13-16 and lost its sixth straight game on the road.
The Sun dominated early, leading by six, 28-22, at the
first turn, and taking a seven point lead, into the locker room at
intermission. But the Wings turned the game around in the third period,
outscoring the Sun 24-19 and cutting the Connecticut advantage to two points
heading into the fourth period.
Indeed, after Thomas fouled Glory Johnson with 5:31
remaining in regulation, Johnson put in two from the charity stripe to give the
Wings a 80-79 lead. It was the first lead for Dallas since the 7:26 mark of the
first quarter. But Williams answered with a pull-up jumper, then Jones picked Allisha
Gray’s pocket leading to a transition lay-up by Thomas, giving the Sun an 83-80
lead—an advantage Connecticut would not relinquish.
 | |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith slips past Connecticut's Shekinna Stricklen for two of her 19 points. |
“Everybody is a threat,” said Diggins-Smith, the former
Notre Dame standout. “They can all go coast to coast. All of their bigs
can shoot from the outside including Kizer and Tuck and Peterson everybody is a
threat so that makes them hard to guard and then they have knock down shooters
like Banham and Stricklen.”
Connecticut came into the game leading the WNBA in
three-point percentage, but it was the Sun’s inside game that won this won.
Connecticut outrebounded Dallas 41-28 (including a 12-5 advantage off the
offensive glass)—and that was a good thing as the Sun’s outside game wasn’t
there on Saturday. Connecticut shot just 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from beyond
the arc.
“We’re at our best when we have a bunch of people playing
free, having fun, scoring in double figures,” said Thomas. “I don’t even think
we’ve completely shown the extent of our depth. There are still people who aren’t
getting minutes who can probably contribute to this team. They’ll be ready when
it’s their time and that’s what makes us so good.”
With the win, the Eastern Conference-leading Sun improved
to 17-9, one game ahead of second-place Washington. Connecticut
ranks third in the overall WNBA standings, two games behind
second-place Los Angeles.
“The locker room certainly has bigger goals, so now we’ll
fight for position and a very, very important potential bye,” said Connecticut
head coach and general manager Curt Miller. The top four teams at season’s end
get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
 |
| Former UConn star Morgan Tuck helps apply the defensive clamps for the Sun. |
“Ultimately, as my GM half, I want to try and create
something that has sustained success,” continued Miller. “Everywhere I’ve been
as a head coach, that has been a big part of that plan. This was just step one
and I hope we have the opportunity to be in the playoffs every year.”
Next up, the Sun head to Atlanta where they will take on
Tiffany Hayes, Elizabeth Williams and the 10-18 Atlanta
Dream on Tuesday. Game-time is 7 p.m., and the game will be
televised on NBA-TV, CSNHD and Fox Sports South, and streamed on WNBA League Pass. The
Sun will return home on Friday to entertain the New York Liberty. Tip-off is at
7 p.m., and the game will be televised on MSG and streamed on League Pass.
—with Colleen White and Staff Reports
No comments:
Post a Comment