Sun Win Second Straight Over Mystics

Photo By Bill Harper

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Connecticut Sun stopped the Washington Mystics for the second straight time, putting up an 88-81 victory at Entertainment and Sports Arena in our nation’s capital on Tuesday night.

After the Mystics raced out to an early 14-9 lead five minutes into the contest, the Sun responded with a 12-3 run to close out the period, taking a 21-17 at the first pole. Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with eight points after 10 minutes of play.

The Mystics came back in the second quarter, cutting the Connecticut lead to one, 43-42, at intermission. Thomas led the Sun with six points, one rebound, two assists and one steal in the quarter. Natisha Hiedeman added four points and one steal, while Tiffany Hayes, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Ty Harris each added three points in the second.

The Sun charged out of the locker room in the third period and upped their advantage to four, 63-59, heading into the fourth. DeWanna Bonner led the Connecticut surge, putting up seven points of her 15 points in the quarter. Connecticut continued to push pace offensively in the fourth stanza, outscoring the Mystics, 25-22, to seal the deal. Brionna Jones, who started slow, ended the contest with eight points, including her first three-point field goal since the 2020 season, to lead the Sun in the fourth.

With the win, Connecticut improved to a perfect 3-0 on the young season while Washington fell to 1-2. The Sun were led by Alyssa Thomas who tallied her fifth-straight double-double, dating back to the 2022 season, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and also had five assists and two steals. The Mystics were led by Elena Delle Donne who put up a season-high 27 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out four assists and had one blocked shot on her stat line.

Connecticut shot a season-high 47.5% (29-61), while holding Washington to 41.5% (27-65) from the field on the night. The Sun dominated the paint, outscoring the Mystics, 40-26.

SUN SPOTS

*Tiffany Hayes dished out a career-high tying eight assists.

*All five Sun starters finished in double figures for the first time this season.

*The Sun finished with season-highs in points (88), assists (21) and three-point field goals (8).

*DeWanna Bonner moved into 18th all-time in games played in league history, tying Tully Bevilaqua (425).

*With one block in tonight’s game, Brionna Jones moved to No. 13 all-time in blocked shots in Connecticut Sun history, tying Brooke Wyckoff (61).

*Natisha Hiedeman eclipsed 800 career-points in tonight with 13 points (804).

*DeWanna Bonner now has 191 15+ point performances, tying Nneka Ogwumike for 14th most in WNBA history.

Sun Stop Mystics for Second Straight Win

By Bob Phillips

Photos by Bill Harper

UNCASVILLE—DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points and Alyssa Thomas put up a double-double—14 points and 16 rebounds—to go along with six assists and three steals to help the Connecticut Sun rally from a 12-point deficit to beat the Washington Mystics 80-74 Sunday. Brionna Jones added her own double-double (15 points and 10 boards) for the Sun.

Shakira Austin scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Elena Delle Donne had 19 points and also had 11 boards for the Mystics.

Down by four late in the third period, Tyasha Harris hit a 3-pointer to close out the quarter and pull the Sun within a point. A put-back by Jones early in the fourth stanza gave the Sun their first lead of the game before Rebecca Allen hit a trey to cap a 13-2 Connecticut run to stake the Sun to a 67-60 advantage with just under 6 minutes left in the game, and Connecticut never looked back.

Delle Donne, a two-time WNBA MVP, missed a clean look in the paint that would have made it a one-possession game with 37 seconds left in the contest before fouling out out about 10 seconds later.

Delle Donne, the former UConn nemesis who once committed to play for the Huskies before changing her mind and heading home to become an All-American at Delaware, made a layup to spark a 10-0 run. That spurt gave Washington a 14-3 lead and was capped with a pull-up jumper by Delle Donne midway through the opening period. The Mystics then led for most of the way—until Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and scored in the lane to out the Sun up, 59-58, with eight minutes remaining in regulation.

Referee Kelly Broomfield limped off the court in the third quarter with an apparent ankle injury and did not return, leaving just two officials the rest of the game.

White challenged a foul called on Olivia Nelson-Ododa early in the fourth quarter and won, but the foul was instead assessed to Jones, her fourth personal. Jones, who picked up her third foul with 5:32 left in the first half, fouled out for the second time this season with 17 seconds left.

Sun skipper Stefanie White—who last coached in the WNBA with Indiana from 2015-16 and helped the Fever to back-to-back playoff berths including a trip to the 2015 WNBA Finals—replaced Curt Miller as the Sun’s coach in November. Miller, the former head coach and GM for the Sun, has moved cross-country and is now top dog with the Los Angeles Sparks. In addition, four-time All-Star and 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones—who led the Sun to back-to-back Finals appearances and three straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals—forced a trade in the offseason to the Connecticut’s No. 1 rival, the New York Liberty, giving the Sun roster a virtually complete makeover.

With the win, Connecticut improved to 2-0 on the young season while Washington fell to 1-1. The Sun opened the 2023 season with a 70-61 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday. The Sun and Mystics will go at it again on Tuesday at Entertainment and Sports Arena in our nation’s capital. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington/Monumental Sports in the metro D.C. market and on NECN in New England.

Bridgeport Islanders Announce Home Opener, Six Guaranteed Dates for 2023-24 Season

BRIDGEPORT—The Bridgeport Islanders will host their 2023-24 home opener on Saturday, Oct. 21st at Total Mortgage Arena, one of six home dates that have been confirmed by the AHL.

Guaranteed Home Dates:

*Saturday, Oct. 21

*Wednesday, Dec. 27

*Saturday, Jan. 6

*Saturday, Jan. 27

*Sunday, Feb. 17

*Saturday, Mar. 30

Opponents for these six games will be announced later this summer when the complete schedule for AHL’s 88th season is released. While individual game tickets to each of these contests will also be available this summer, Flex Ticket Plans are on sale now.

Flexible Ticket Plans offer hockey fans the freedom to choose any number of seats to any number of games that best suit their preferences. With the option to purchase either a 10-pack or 20-pack of undated ticket vouchers, fans can tailor any experience to fit their schedule, whether it's a thrilling rivalry, a popular theme night, or simply a “must-see” game. As a special offer, fans who lock in their flex plans before Jun. 1 will receive two (2) additional complementary tickets to Opening Night on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Pricing for Flexible Ticket Plans starts at $18 per ticket. For more information call 203-579-5230 to reserve your plan for the 2023-24 season. The Bridgeport Islanders are the American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders. Fans are invited to keep up with the latest Islanders news and connect with other fans on Facebook (@AHLIslanders), Twitter (@AHLIslanders) and Instagram (@AHLIslanders).