Connecticut Holds On, Forces Game 5

Alyssa Thomas (center) came close to becoming the first player in WNBA
history to record a triple-double in the playoffs with a 17-point, 11-assist,
8-rebound performance last night.

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—The Sun also rises. Faced with a win or go home situation, the Connecticut Sun held off a fierce comeback by the Washington Mystics to emerge with a 90-86 victory in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals before 8,458 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night.

There has never been a triple-double in WNBA Finals history, but Alyssa Thomas came damn close last night with 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Indeed, all five Sun starters scored in double digits led by Jonquel Jones who had a double-double of her own with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Courtney Williams (16 points), Shekinna Stricklen (15 points), and Jasmine Thomas (14) rounded out the cavalcade of double-digit scorers for the Sun.

So, too, the Mystics had five players in double-digits: Aeriel Powers paced Washington with 15 points off the bench, Ariel Atkins followed with 14, Natasha Cloud (13), Emma Meesseman (12), and Elena Delle Donne (12).

The Sun turned on the gas early, leading by 18 points early in the game. Connecticut enjoyed a 15-point advantage at the first turn, 32-17, and led by 16 entering the locker room at intermission. Game over, right?

Hardly.

Regular-season MVP Elena Delle Donne kept her team in the thick of
things with a 12-point effort on Tuesday night.

In the third period—which the Sun have called their own for most of the season and postseason—Washington came roaring back, completely eradicating Connecticut’s advantage. The Wizards out-scored the home team 28-12 in the third quarter, and the teams entered the fourth period with the contest tied at 68 points apiece.

The Mystics kept the pedal on the metal in the fourth period, taking a five-point lead, 77-72, on a three-pointer by Meesseman with 6:51 remaining in regulation. It looked like a fade to black for the Sun and their fans. But then, staring down the barrel of elimination, Connecticut regrouped, fought back, and regained the lead, 84-81, on a three-pointer by Jasmine Thomas with 3:09 left on the clock.

That lead was short-lived, however. Meesseman answered with a trey from the corner to knot the score at 84-84 with 2:44 on the clock.

Then it was Shekinna Stricklen’s time to shine. The three-point champ at All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas launched one in from downtown Norwich to stake the Sun to an 87-84 lead with 2:22 remaining in regulation. The Mystics were not done, however. A layup by Cloud cut the Connecticut lead to one, but the Sun defense came up big from that point forward, shutting the Mystics down for the final 2:10 of the contest as the home team successfully staved off elimination.

“They tried to push it to Game 5 [and] that’s what they did,” said Mystics’ guard Natasha Cloud. “But if you ask me, I’ll take our team 10 times out of 10.”

After the game, Sun head coach and general manager was effusive in praise for his team, as well as for the home crowd.

“I want to give a quick shout-out to our amazing crowd,” he said. “They showed up both nights. It's been a really, really successful year at home for us. So for us to be able to send it back to Washington is really exciting for us, but we couldn't have done it without our crowd.”

And as for his team, “[We] weathered a difficult third quarter and [were] able to withstand that and gather ourselves and have a good enough fourth quarter to send this back to Washington,” said Miller.

The Sun, the third worst-shooting team in the WNBA from the foul line during the regular season with a 77.9 percentage, won this one from the charity stripe, converting 23 of 26 free-throw attempts (88.5 percent). Washington, meanwhile, went to the free-throw line just 13 times, converting on 10. A 13-point advantage from the foul line for the home team proved just too much for the Mystics to overcome.

“I’m struggling how to understand how Connecticut played with one foul in the fourth quarter,” said

Jasmine Thomas (14 points) was one of five Connecticut players to score
in double digits.

Mystics’ head coach Mike Thibault. “If we could have gone to the line a couple times, we could have slowed the momentum down a little bit.”

It’s been said that the darkest hour is right before dawn. For the Sun, the 94-81 loss in Game 4 represented their darkest hour. Dawn came last night in Game 4. So now it’s back to D.C. for the fifth and deciding game of the series on Thursday night.

“We took care of business,” said Alyssa Thomas. “We got that win. [But] it’s a short, quick turnaround. We’ve got to get ready for Game 5”.

Game on, folks. Thursday night. Nation’s capital. 8 p.m. All the marbles.

“We're having the time of our life right now,” said Miller. “Nothing better. You dream as a little kid being in a deciding final game, a Game 7, a Game 5 of a series to win a world championship. If you grew up a basketball fan, these are the moments that you dreamed of.”

And if you’re looking for a clue as to who might emerge victorious, check the scoreboard at the end of 10 minutes. The leading team after the first period has emerged victorious in the series’ first four contests. The Mystics won the opening period of Game 1 by 13 points. Connecticut was ahead by 12 in the second game and Washington by 15 in Game 3. Last night, the Sun outscored Washington by 15. Interestingly, each time the team that was trailing in the period had 17 points.

—with staff reports

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