UNCASVILLE—When
the Connecticut Sun raced out to a 3-0 start to the season, scoring over 100
points in two of those games, there were nonetheless some skeptics who thought the team’s sprint out of the gate might have been somewhat deceptive because the first three games were at home. But now, two games into their first road trip of the 2018 season, the Sun remain unblemished and look, if possible, even better than they did before they left.
On Friday, the Sun improved to 4-0 with a resounding 110-72 win over the Chicago Sky before 4,131 fans at Wintrust Arena n the Windy City. The 110 points scored by the Sun tied a single-game franchise record, and a 62-point second-half performance set a team record.
Jonquel Jones and Alex Bentley each had 20 points—season highs for both—leading the scoring parade that saw five Connecticut players score in double figures. Chiney Ogwumike (17 points, seven rebounds), Courtney Williams (15 points) and Alyssa Thomas (10 points, 13 rebounds) also scored in double digits.
For Thomas, it was her second double-double of the season.
Morgan Tuck, who grew up in nearby Bolingbrook, Ill., had a season-high nine points, the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Connecticut played a solid defensive game as well, scoring 33 points off of 23 Chicago turnovers.
Diamond DeShields (15 points), Cheyenne Parker (12) and Courtney Vandersloot (11) scored in double figures for Chicago, while former UConn star Gabby Williams added six points, four assists, and grabbed five rebounds. Stefanie Dolson did not play.
The Sun led by just three, 34-31, with a little over five minutes left in the second quarter, but finished the period on a 14-2 run to take a 48-33 lead into the locker room at intermission. After the Sky cut the Connecticut lead to nine with 6:24 left in the third quarter, the Sun outscored the home team 20-12 to end the third period, then opened the fourth period with a 17-5 run to put the game out of reach.
Next, it was off to the nation’s capital where the Sun stopped the Washington Mystics, 88-64, before 5,176 fans at Capital One Arena to improve to 5-0. Connecticut opened the game on an 11-2 run and led at every turn. A stifling Sun defense held the Mystics to 36.1 percent shooting from the floor, including 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.
Jasmine Thomas led all scorers with 25 points, while Bentley (15), Ogwumike (11 points, 9 rebounds), and Alyssa Thomas (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) also scored in double digits for Connecticut, which improved to 5-0—the best start in franchise history.
The Sun came back and trailed by just one at the third turn, and tied the game at 64-64 with 8:11 remaining in regulation, but the Dream closed out the game by an 18-13 margin to send the Sun down to defeat for the first time in the 2018 campaign.
Alyssa Thomas led the Connecticut offense with a 19-point, 17-rebound, 7-assist performance, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the charity stripe. Ogwumike and Bentley (12 points each) and Courtney Williams (11) also scored in double digits for the Sun. Damiris Dantas (15), former UConn and Sun star Renee Montgomery (12), and Angel McCoughtry (11) scored in double digits for the Dream.
After scoring 100 or more points in three of their first five games, the Sun offense finally had an off night, shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor vs. Atlanta.
The Sun next head to White Plains, NY, where they will face the 2-3 New York Liberty on Thursday night at the Westchester County Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Boston and MSG+. As with all WNBA games, the contest will be steamed live on WNBA League Pass. The Sun return home on Saturday to entertain Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen and the defending champion Minnesota Lynx. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena is slated for 2 p.m.
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| Jonquel Jones (35) scored a season high 20 points in the Sun's 110-72 victory over he Sky. |
points in two of those games, there were nonetheless some skeptics who thought the team’s sprint out of the gate might have been somewhat deceptive because the first three games were at home. But now, two games into their first road trip of the 2018 season, the Sun remain unblemished and look, if possible, even better than they did before they left.
On Friday, the Sun improved to 4-0 with a resounding 110-72 win over the Chicago Sky before 4,131 fans at Wintrust Arena n the Windy City. The 110 points scored by the Sun tied a single-game franchise record, and a 62-point second-half performance set a team record.
Jonquel Jones and Alex Bentley each had 20 points—season highs for both—leading the scoring parade that saw five Connecticut players score in double figures. Chiney Ogwumike (17 points, seven rebounds), Courtney Williams (15 points) and Alyssa Thomas (10 points, 13 rebounds) also scored in double digits.
For Thomas, it was her second double-double of the season.
Morgan Tuck, who grew up in nearby Bolingbrook, Ill., had a season-high nine points, the first seven points of the fourth quarter. Connecticut played a solid defensive game as well, scoring 33 points off of 23 Chicago turnovers.
Diamond DeShields (15 points), Cheyenne Parker (12) and Courtney Vandersloot (11) scored in double figures for Chicago, while former UConn star Gabby Williams added six points, four assists, and grabbed five rebounds. Stefanie Dolson did not play.
The Sun led by just three, 34-31, with a little over five minutes left in the second quarter, but finished the period on a 14-2 run to take a 48-33 lead into the locker room at intermission. After the Sky cut the Connecticut lead to nine with 6:24 left in the third quarter, the Sun outscored the home team 20-12 to end the third period, then opened the fourth period with a 17-5 run to put the game out of reach.
Next, it was off to the nation’s capital where the Sun stopped the Washington Mystics, 88-64, before 5,176 fans at Capital One Arena to improve to 5-0. Connecticut opened the game on an 11-2 run and led at every turn. A stifling Sun defense held the Mystics to 36.1 percent shooting from the floor, including 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.
Jasmine Thomas led all scorers with 25 points, while Bentley (15), Ogwumike (11 points, 9 rebounds), and Alyssa Thomas (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) also scored in double digits for Connecticut, which improved to 5-0—the best start in franchise history.
Ariel Atkins led
Washington with 14 points, while Tianna Hawkins and Monique Curry added 10
point each for the Mystics, who are coached by former Sun mentor Mike Thibault.
Former Delaware star Elena Delle Donne, who left the Mystics previous game
early with dehydration issues, did not play.
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| Alyssa Thomas had a double-double (19 points, 17 boards) in the Sun's 82-77 loss in Atlanta Tuesday night. |
The Sun early
season run came to an end on Tuesday night when former UConn star Tiffany Hayes
poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the Atlanta Dream to an 82-77 victory
over the Sun before 2,830 fans at McCamish Arena.
The Sun got off
to a fast start, and led 25-18 at the first turn. But Atlanta rallied in the
second period and led 45-40 at intermission. The Sun came back and trailed by just one at the third turn, and tied the game at 64-64 with 8:11 remaining in regulation, but the Dream closed out the game by an 18-13 margin to send the Sun down to defeat for the first time in the 2018 campaign.
Alyssa Thomas led the Connecticut offense with a 19-point, 17-rebound, 7-assist performance, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the charity stripe. Ogwumike and Bentley (12 points each) and Courtney Williams (11) also scored in double digits for the Sun. Damiris Dantas (15), former UConn and Sun star Renee Montgomery (12), and Angel McCoughtry (11) scored in double digits for the Dream.
After scoring 100 or more points in three of their first five games, the Sun offense finally had an off night, shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor vs. Atlanta.
The Sun next head to White Plains, NY, where they will face the 2-3 New York Liberty on Thursday night at the Westchester County Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Boston and MSG+. As with all WNBA games, the contest will be steamed live on WNBA League Pass. The Sun return home on Saturday to entertain Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen and the defending champion Minnesota Lynx. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena is slated for 2 p.m.
—with
Bob Phillips and staff reports
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