Sky Sink Sun in OT

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—All losses hurt, of course, but for the Connecticut Sun, this one cut particularly deep. Behind a 27-point performance by forward Kahleah Copper, the Chicago Storm edged the Connecticut Sun 95-92 before 6,254 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena and a national television audience on NBA-TV on Sunday.

Chicago led by 17 points after Allie Quigley drained a three-pointer with 6:05 remaining in the first half, but the Sun, who cut the Sky advantage to 11 at intermission, came charging all the way back and tied the game when Courtney Williams (16 points, 8 rebounds) nailed a mid-range jumper with 15.2 seconds left in regulation, tying the contest at 84 points apiece and sending the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Sun jumped out to a six-point lead, 92-86, before the Sky did what championship-caliber teams do, ending the game on a 9-0 run and sealing the deal on the opponents’ homecourt.

“I thought we didn’t come out the competitive group and it took kind of a punch in the mouth, and then we responded to the competitiveness of the game,” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said of the early hole his team dug. “From then on it was a game. Huge response in the second. But I felt like it changed when we got competitive.

“I know we’re disappointed in that locker room,” he continued. “Their fight put them in position to pull out a win. We had opportunities and we just came up short again. ... We’ve lost three or four games now in two years against Chicago when it’s come down to the final possession.”With the victory, the Sky improve to 23-7 while the Sun fall to 20-10. The Sun have one more chance at redemption against the Sky when they travel to the Windy City to take on the Sky on Aug. 7.

Courtney Vandersloot scored 16 points and added 12 assists for the Sky, passing former Sun and Minnesota Lynx star Lindsay Whalen and moving into third place among the WNBA’s all-time assist leaders. Vandersloot now has 2,350 dishes in her career. Quigley scored 13 points and had five assists, while former Duke and UConn standout Azurá Stevens scored 12 with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Emma Meesseman added 10 points and five assists as all five Chicago starters scored in double digits. Future Hall-of-Famer Candace Parker missed her second game in a row with a non-COVID-related illness.

DeWanna Bonner topped the Sun with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Alyssa Thomas scored 22 with eight assists and five steals. Courtney Williams had 16 points and eight boards.

The Sun are back home on Tuesday when they will face Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena will be at 7 p.m. The Sun are 1-0 vs. Phoenix this season having stopped the Mercury 92-88 in Phoenix on June 3.