Sun Shine in 27-Point Rout of Liberty

By Bob Phillips

BROOKLYN—DeWanna Bonner led the Connecticut Sun with 16 points—12 coming in the decisive first half—guiding Connecticut to a runaway 92-65 victory before a paltry crowd of 3,054 at Barclays Center on Tuesday night. Natasha Heideman added 15 for the Sun—her benchmark output total for the young season. Brionna Jones chipped in with 14 points, while Jonquel Jones added 13. Alyssa Thomas had 12 points and four steals for the Sun, who earned their second victory of the young season. Courtney Williams, who returned from a two-game suspension, added four for the Sun, who improved to 2-1. It marked the diminutive sparkplug’s return to Connecticut after a two-year run in Atlanta with the Dream.

The Sun did not exactly start the game en fuego, missing their first six shots and committing. The Libs, meanwhile, 10 of the game’s first 12 points. Then, Michaela Onyenwere’s 3-pointer with 2:28 remaining in the first period gave New York a 15-11 lead. But that was as good as it would get for the Liberty. Brionna Jones answered with a layup and Heideman followed with a trey to spark an 18-0 run, and the Sun never looked back.

Betnijah Laney led New York with 16 points. Former UConn star added 13 for the Libs, who dropped their fourth straight game after opening the season with an 81-79 victory over the Sun.

A swarming Connecticut defense forced New York to commit 29 turnovers—tied for second-most in Liberty franchise history. New York set its franchise’s single-game record for miscues with 30 against the Phoenix Mercury in 1998 and had 29 turnovers against the Los Angeles Sparks last season. The Utah Starzz set the WNBA record for single-game turnovers when they coughed up the ball 33 times vs. the Phoenix Mercury on August 17, 1997.

The Liberty have lost four in a row since beating Connecticut 81-79 in the season opener.

The Sun return to action on Friday when the host the x-x Indiana Fever. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena will be at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on NESN+ and live-streamed on ESPN3 and Facebook.com/IndianaFever. The Libs, meanwhile, are off until next Tuesday when they will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Lynx. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and will be televised on Bally Sports North Extra and streamed on the YES app.

UConn Legend Ray Reid Named Technical Director for Athletic

By Bob Phillips

HARTFORD—Ray Reid, the legendary UConn men’s soccer coach who led the Huskies to the national championship in 2000, has been named Technical Director for the USL’s Hartford Athletic. Reid, who led the Huskies to four Big East Tournament championships and was named NCAA’s Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year four times, will oversee all aspects of the first team including personnel decisions, selection of coaches and technical staff, player identification and scouting, as well as oversight of the Hartford Athletic Academy.

“Over the past few months, I’ve really missed the locker room and the camaraderie of being part of a team,” said Reid, who retired as UConn’s head coach after last season—his 25th with the Huskies. “I’m honored and excited to join Hartford Athletic. I’ve been very fortunate to work at two outstanding Universities in UConn and Southern Connecticut State University. They will always hold a special place in my heart. My goal now is to help Hartford Athletic be a team that the entire state of Connecticut gets behind.”

The 61-year-old Reid, who retired in December 2021, coached 33 seasons overall, including 25 at UConn, where he won 312 matches, garnered eight regular season titles in the AAC and Big East, won four Big East championships and one national title. He was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003.

Before coming to Storrs, Reid led his alma mater Southern Connecticut State University Owls to three DII national championships in eight years at the helm. UConn has produced 41 MLS draft picks including 14 first-round picks, including three overall No. 1 overall—including Jamaican National Team goalkeeper Andre Blake and Canadian star Cyle Larin—under Reid’s guidance.

“Ray Reid is a Connecticut soccer icon, and we are thrilled to be adding him as our Technical Director,” said Hartford Athletic Chairman Bruce Mandell. “He has a proven record of success both on and off the pitch and his experience will perfectly complement Coach Watling and the rest of our technical staff as well as provide unique opportunities for our organization as a whole.”

Reid has one of the broadest coaching trees in all of soccer, having developed over 19 coaches at the D1 and professional levels. Presently, nine NCAA DI head coaches have served under Reid’s tutelage, eight of whom were former players. He also is a founding board member of the Clive Charles Initiative, a platform designed and engineered to increase coaching opportunities at all levels for underrepresented and minority coaches in college and professional soccer. .”

“Ray is one of the most influential people in soccer in Connecticut and his experience and knowledge of the American soccer system are welcome additions to our organization,” said Hartford Athletic Head Coach Harry Watling. “I’m very pleased that he has decided to come on board and look forward to working with him.”

Hartford Athletic will be back in action on Saturday, May 14, when they host New York Red Bulls II at Trinity Health Stadium at 7 p.m. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the match should click HERE.