InsideCTSports: June 2023

Friday, June 16, 2023

Dream Snaps Seven-Game Skid vs. Sun

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—Allisha Gray had a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, Cheyenne Parker forced overtime with a last-second shot and the Atlanta Dream beat the Connecticut Sun 92-88 on Thursday night to snap a seven-game losing streak in the series.

The Sun were led by Brionna Jones who tallied a double-double with a season-high 28 points and 13 rebounds, along with one assist and two steals.

Atlanta outscored Connecticut, 15-11, heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Jones and Alyssa Thomas each notched four points in the opening minutes to lead the Sun. Connecticut finished the quarter on a 17-5 run to take an eight-point advantage into the second, 28-20. Jones tallied 11 points, three rebounds and one steal to lead the Sun after ten minutes.

The Dream opened the second quarter outscoring the Sun, 10-4, to cut the lead to two, 32-30, with 6:33 remaining in the half. The Sun finished the half on a 20-8 run to take their largest lead of the contest, 50-40, into the locker room at intermission. Jones tied her season-high in scoring in the first half alone with 21 points, along with seven rebounds, one assist and one steal to lead Connecticut at the break.

The Dream opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run to cut the Sun lead to one, 50-49, with 7:47 remaining in the quarter. The Sun were held scoreless until the 6:31 mark in the third quarter when Jones sank a mid-range jumper to make it 52-51. Each team notched 10 points the rest of the way, with the Sun taking a one-point lead into the fourth, 62-61.

After 10 lead changes in the fourth stanza, the Sun and the Dream were knotted at 80 points apiece, sending the contest into overtime. Thomas notched nine of her 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Sun.

Atlanta outscored Connecticut, 12-8, in the overtime period to hand Connecticut their second home loss of the season, 92-88. The Dream were led by Allisha Gray who tallied a career-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Connecticut shot 42.9 percent from the floor on 33-for-77 shooting, while Atlanta shot 51.4% (36-for-70) from the field. The Sun outscored the Dream in the paint (52-48), on second chance opportunities (17-12) and on the fast break (21-2).

The Sun now travel to Los Angeles where they will take on the Los Angeles Sparks headed by former Sun head coach and GM Curt Miller on Sunday. Tip-off at Crypto.com Arena is at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Boston and streamed on the NBC Sports app.

Sun Spots:

—With Staff Reports

STORRS—UConn head football coach Jim Mora announced the Huskies have added seven transfer student-athletes who will join the Huskies for the the upcoming 2023 season. The newest Huskies are:

Armauni Archie – Defensive Back
6-0/183, Vallejo, Calif. / El Cerrito HS (Washington State University)

Transfers to UConn from Washington State University…In four seasons at WSU, played in 17 games with 15 total tackles, 12 solo…Coming off a 2022 season where he appeared in 11 games, one as a starter at the nickel…Made 11 tackles on the year...Suffered a season-ending injury in 2021…Saw majority of time early in his career on special teams…Prior to WSU, attended El Cerrito High School and was rated a three-star prospect by ESPN.com, 247sports.com and Rivals.com.

Brett Buckman – Wide Receiver
6-1/200, Park Ridge, N.J. / St. Joseph Regional (Delaware)

Transfers to UConn from the University of Delaware where he appeared in 33 games in four seasons for the Blue Hens…He had 61 career receptions for 763 yards and a touchdown…Had his best season in 2022 where he caught 39 balls in 13 games for 470 yards, a touchdown, all career-high marks…He had a season high of six catches for 76 yards against Rhode Island…Off the field, he was selected to the 2021 Fall CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

James Burns – Wide Receiver
5-8/155, Charlotte, N.C. / Rocky River HS (Austin Peay)

A transfer to UConn from Austin Peay State University where he played one season in 2022…In nine games last fall he caught 39 passes for 517 yards and five touchdowns…Finished second on the club in catches and receiving touchdowns…Prior to Austin Peay he played three seasons at Miami University (OH)…He had his best season in 2019 where he played in 12 games, making three starts…Finished the year with 20 catches for 506 yards and one touchdown…Ended the season with 25.3 yards per reception, tops in the nation among freshman wide receivers.

Alex Honig – Tight End
6-6/265, Bavaria, Germany / Schwäbisch Hall (TCU)

Transfers to UConn from TCU…In 2022, played in 12 of 15 games in his r-freshman season, primarily on special teams...Named to the 2022 first team Academic All-Big 12 team…Redshirted in the 2021 season…Prior to TCU was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals…The No. 27 pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports composite rankings…Rated the No. 1 quarterback and overall player in Germany…Excelled for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, one of the top American football youth teams in Germany.

Amir Renwick – Defensive Back
6-1/200, Baltimore, Md. / Milford Mill Academy (Coffeyville CC)

Transfers to UConn after two seasons at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas…In his two seasons, saw action in 17 total games with 111 total tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two pass break-ups and two forced fumbles…In 2022, helped lead Coffeyville to an 8-3 overall record, finishing with 99 total tackles, 57 solo tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss and two picks…In conference action, he finished with 60 total tackles, while averaging 10 tackles per game.

Torion White – Defensive Back
6-2/170, Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Poly (Southern Utah)

Comes to UConn after transferring from Southern Utah University…Played two seasons for the Thunderbirds and appeared in 10 total games…Coming off a 2022 season where he played nine games and had 22 total tackles, 16 solo and one for a loss. He also recorded an interception and had four pass break-ups on the year.

R.J. Wilkins – Defensive Line
6-3/315, Chicago, Ill. / Mount Carmel (Illinois)

Transfers to UConn after a season at the University of Illinois where he played in five games…Prior to Illinois played two-years at Vanderbilt where he saw action in 19 games in two season…In 2021 finished with 13 tackles, five solo, in 12 games (10 starts)…In 2020, started all nine games and had eight tackles, 2.0 for a loss, and a fumble recovery…Had 2.0 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery against South Carolina…Had playing stops at Monterey Peninsula (Calif.) College (2019) and at Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2018) .

—Staff Reports

Huskies, Tar Heels To Tangle in WBB at Mohegan Sun

UNCASVILLE—The University of Connecticut women's basketball team will take on North Carolina in the 10th annual Basketball Hall of Fame Invesco QQQ Women's Showcase on Sunday, Dec. 10, at Mohegan Sun Arena. UConn is 7-5 all-time vs. North Carolina. The teams last faced off in Storrs on Jan. 16, 2012. The Huskies have won the last five meetings vs. the Tar Heels. UNC is coming off a 22-11 season which featured an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Showcase will also feature Florida State vs. UCLA and South Carolina vs. Utah. Game times and television broadcast details will be released at a later date.

UConn donors and season ticket holders will have an exclusive ticket pre-sale opportunity prior to the public sale. Public ticket sales will begin Friday, Sept. 8.

Uconn’s 2023-24 non-conference schedule will also include previously announced games vs. Ball State (home), Dayton (home; originally slated for 2020-21 season), Louisville (home), Maryland (home), Notre Dame (home), Minnesota (road), NC State (road), South Carolina (road) and Texas (road). The Huskies will also play two games in the inaugural Cayman Islands Women's Basketball Tournament.

—Staff Reports

Yale Cops Y-H Regatta

GALES FERRY—It was an especially momentous time to be on the Thames River last Saturday (June 6) as the Yale heavyweight crew team took down Harvard in three of the four races at the 156th Yale-Harvard Regatta. With more than just pride on the line, the Bulldogs persevered through unusual weather conditions that consisted of sun and clouds, rain and choppy waters. On Friday, the fourth varsity boat took a deciding nine-second victory over Harvard. Then on Saturday, despite the third varsity falling in the first race, the second varsity battled to a come-from-behind victory, while the first varsity absolutely dominated the four-mile-long marathon race.

“I feel so happy for the guys. All the races were contested,” said Steve Gladstone, Craig W. Johnson ’68 Head Coach of Heavyweight Crew. “It really was a great day. Nothing more satisfying than seeing the people you have worked with and trained demonstrate their speed. What's more satisfying than that? That is what we work for.”

In speaking on the 1V Crimson boat, Gladstone noted, “Harvard never let go once. That is four long miles, and they were on it and after it all the way up the course.”

Gladstone acknowledged that in a long race, truly anything can happen, but the Bulldogs were poised and paced by an experienced coxswain in Harry Keenan.

"Going into the race, we knew we were just going to do our thing; stick to our race plan, be prepared to battle to the end. It was a long race, it hurts a lot, so mentally going in there and preparing for that," said captain Fergus Hamilton on their preparation heading into the weekend.

It was a bittersweet day for not only Gladstone, who coached his final race at Yale before retirement, but also the senior class.

“It was Steve's last race and I think we had that in the back of our minds all week. We really wanted to get this one for him,” noted Hamilton. “There was also a moment for the seniors as well when you know you'll pass the rock for the last time and then you realize these are your last 20 strokes wearing a Y. It was definitely special, especially when you hear from your first year that you want to beat Harvard. No matter what results you get during the season, as long as you beat Harvard, you've had a successful season.”

With Gladstone at the helm, the first varsity boat has not lost a Yale-Harvard Regatta race since 2014. With IRA National Championships, Eastern Sprints and Ivy League titles under his belt, as well as numerous Coach of the Year honors, Gladstone will certainly go down as one of, if not, the best coaches in rowing history.

Final Results

1V
Yale – 19:14.9

Harvard – 19:26.6

2V
Yale – 14:29.4

Harvard – 14:33.3

3V
Harvard – 9:55.0

Yale – 9:57.3

4V
Yale – 9:54.2

Harvard – 10:03.1

—Staff Reports

Young, Cameron To Play In Travelers

CROMWELL—Max Homa and Cameron Young will play in the 2023 Travelers Championship. Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR who is currently No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, while Young is the reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and ranked No. 15.

“Max and Cameron give us two more highly ranked players in this year’s field,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “Whether it’s someone who has played in our tournament before, like Max, or a first-timer like Cameron, we want their experience with us to be world class. We feel the same way with our fans and volunteers. It promises to be a great week.”

Homa has two wins and four other top-10 finishes this season. With victories at the Fortinet Championship and at Torrey Pines, in addition to a second-place finish at The Genesis Invitational, a tie for third at Kapalua and a T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship, Homa is in third place in the FedExCup points standings. Homa’s first win on TOUR came in 2019 at the Wells Fargo Championship, a tournament he won again in 2022. He played on the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2022, going a perfect 4-0 in the Americans’ victory.

Young was named top PGA TOUR rookie last year in large part due to his strong play in the major championships. He finished T3 at the PGA Championship and was second at The Open Championship, one of five runner-up finishes throughout the season. This year, Young finished second in the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play and was T7 at the Masters. Young was also a member of the victorious 2022 U.S. Presidents Cup team. This will be his first appearance at TPC River Highlands.

“Max and Cameron have been playing excellent golf and it’s exciting to hear that they’ll be joining us for this year’s tournament,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. “We’re the only PGA TOUR event in New England this year, and this competition involving the TOUR’s best players always delivers magical moments and supports hundreds of local charities.”

Homa and Young join a player field that includes Scottie Scheffler (No. 2 in the OWGR), Rory McIlroy (No. 3), Patrick Cantlay (No. 4), defending champion Xander Schauffele (No. 5), Collin Morikawa (No. 13), Justin Thomas (No. 14) and Tony Finau (No. 16).

The 2023 Travelers Championship will be held June 19-25 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, and fans are welcome on-site beginning Wednesday, June 21. For tickets and tournament updates, please visit TravelersChampionship.com. Fans can also follow the tournament’s social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok for news and information.

—Staff Reports