Friday, April 28, 2023

Sun Pre-Season Update-April 2023

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—As the 2024 WNBA season rapidly approaches, many members of the Connecticut Sun are wrapping up their overseas obligations before heading back to the Nutmeg State for another season of WNBA action. What follows is a rundown of the most recent overseas reports concerning Sun players.

Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and the London Lions defeated the Caledonia Gladiators, 79-60, on Wednesday, April 19. Herbert Harrigan led her team with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block in the win.

Natisha Hiedeman and Maccabi Ashdod defeated Elitzur Ramla in Game 3 of the WBL Finals series, 96-82, on Thursday, April 20. Hiedeman finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the victory. On Sunday, April 23, Hiedeman and Maccabi Ashdod picked up an 81-79 win over Elitzur Ramla in Game 4 of the WBL Finals series. Hiedeman tallied seven points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals. The series is now tied 2-2.

Lauren Cox and Valencia took home a 58-56 win over Estudiantes in Game 1 of the Spanish League Quarterfinals series on Thursday, April 20. Cox tallied seven points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. On Sunday, April 23, Cox and Valencia defeated Estudiantes in Game 2 of the Spanish League Quarterfinals series, 77-35. Cox notched 13 points, five rebounds and one block in the win. Valencia won the series by a combined score of 135-91 and will move onto the semifinals.

Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas and USK Prague defeated Zabiny Brno in Game 1 of the Czech League Finals, 89-73 on Friday, April 21. Thomas led the team with 25 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists. Jones added 19 points, nine rebounds, one steal and one block in the victory. On Sunday, April 23, Jones, Thomas and USK Prague picked up a 94-71 win over Zabiny Brno in Game 2 of the Czech League Finals. Jones tallied a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. Thomas filled the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. USK Prague leads the best-of-three series, 2-0.

Former Uconn star Tiffany Hayes and CBK Mersin fell to Fenerbahce, 75-68, in Game 1 of the Turkish League Finals on Saturday, April 22. Hayes finished with 19 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal in the effort. On Sunday, April 23, Hayes and CBK Mersin dropped Game 2 of the Turkish League Finals to Fenerbahce, 83-76. Hayes tallied 14 points, two rebounds and three assists in the outing.

Connecticut Sun players are back in overseas action this week beginning with Hayes and CBK Mersin taking on Fenerbahce at 12:00 p.m. ET on April 25. Jones, Thomas and USK Prague play Zabiny Brno at 2:15 p.m. ET on April 26. Hiedeman and Maccabi Ashdod face off against Elitzur Ramla at 10:45 a.m. ET; and Cox and Valencia take on Zaragoza at 2:00 p.m. ET on April 27. To close out the week, Cox and Valencia play Zaragoza at 1:15 p.m. ET on April 30.

For more information on dates and times of all Connecticut Sun off-season play, visit: https://sun.wnba.com/sun-off-season-tracker/ .

—with staff reports

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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Aces Trounce Sun, Series Heads to CT

By Bob Phillips

LAS VEGAS— A'ja Wilson led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray poured in 21 points and and Kelsey Plum added 20 to lead the Las Vegas Aces to an 85-21 victory over the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of the 2022 WNBA Finals played at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

Courtney Williams led the Sun with 18 points, and Jonquel Jones chipped in with her trademark double-double (16 points, 11 boards) for Connecticut. Alyssa Thomas added 13 points and Brionna Jones threw down 12 for the Sun, who now find themselves in an extremely precarious position in their effort to claim their first WNBA title.

The Aces had been 0-6 in the Finals before taking the first two games of the series with Connecticut. Las Vegas, which was swept in the championship in 2008 when the franchise was still in San Antonio and also in 2020, will look to secure the title on Thursday night in Connecticut.

After being held to a season-low 67 points in Game 1, the Aces rediscovered their offense and shot 51.6 percent from the floor (33-for-64) in Game 2. The Sun, meanwhile, shot poorly (42.2 percent) hitting on just 27 of 64 attempts from the field.

Both teams played uptempo early, trading baskets and free throws. The game was tied at 10-10 with 6:29 remaining in the first quarter when the Aces seized control of the contest, going on an 11-4 run to open a seven-point advantage. The Aces, who led by eight points, 23-15, at the first turn, held on to that eight-point advantage and entered the locker room up 45-37 at halftime. Vegas shot 55 percent (10-for-18) in the first period, and played ferocious D in Q1, holding the visitors to 35 percent shooting (7-for-20).

The Aces kept it up in the second thanks primarily to Plum, who scored 11 in Q2

“I thought Kelsey’s drives opened us up,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “I mean, the other day we got good looks again from three. We didn't want to knock them down but you have to believe the worm will turn there eventually. The important thing is we are getting good looks once she gets in there.”

Connecticut was down 14 when Sun coach Curt Miller went with a big lineup, and the Sun responded with a 12-4 run to cut their deficit to six before a Wilson bucket provided the Aces with an eight-point halftime advantage.

“Get to my spots,” said Wilson, who finished the game shooting a scorching 76.9 percent from the field (10-for-13). “My teammates are putting me in a situation where I'm comfortable.”

“It’s going to take every bit of everybody,” added said Gray, who added 21 points. “You can see the stats. It’s the toughness, the little things that will get it done,” said Gray of her team, which now will head East for Game 3. “We’ve been a good road team this year, so we might as well go win on the road.”

Plum rebounded from a poor Game 1 when she scored just six points to pour in 20 in Game 2.

“A'ja cussed me out before the game [and] that's all I needed,” Plum said. “About time I joined the party. They carried us all week. It’s good to hit some shots, but we have one more.”

“We felt like we were playing catch-up all night since we couldn't string together consecutive stops,” Sun head coach Curt Miller said. “Trying to keep this high-powered offense out of rhythm and tonight we struggled to do that.”

Tip-off for Game 3 will be on Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN. A win by the Aces will given them their first-ever WNBA title. A win by the Sun will cut the Vegas lead to 2-games-to-1 and will advance the series to Game 4. That game, if necessary, will be on Sunday at 4 p.m., also at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Connecticut is 3-0 in elimination games in the playoffs so far this season. .

'”We are taking it one game at a time,” Sun star Jonquel Jones said. “That's all we can do. We are going to go back home, we are going to have our fans behind us, who have been with us all season, and we are going to use that to propel us to a win.”

—with staff reports

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Friday, September 9, 2022

Sun Stop Sky, Advance to Finals vs. Vegas

By Bob Phillips

CHIGAGO—Revenge is sweet. The Connecticut Sun, looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Chicago Sky in last year’s WNBA playoffs, did so in fine style with a 72-63 win to clinch a spot in the Finals. The Sun, who finished one game behind the Sky in the regular season standings, were 0-4 vs. the Sky during the regular season, and were down by 11 points in the fourth quarter last night.

“We come up here every year and Chicago kicks our [butt],” Sun forward DeWanna Bonner the No. 5 pick in the 2009 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury said. Bonner earned two WNBA championships during her time in Phoenix.

The Sun raced out to an early lead and held a 24-16 advantage at the first turn. But the Sky total reversed that in the second period and the teams were tied at 40-40 entering the locker room at halftime.

Then, in the third quarter, things took a significantly bad turn for the Sun, who scored only eight points in the frame and trailed 58-48 entering the fourth quarter. A 10-point deficit to the No. 2 seed in the tournament on the opponent’s court is not the greatest position to be in—unless you play defense like the Connecticut Sun. Connecticut’s defense cranked in up in the fourth quarter, holding Chicago to five points while the Sun offense scored 24, resulting in a nine-point Sun victory.

“You have to believe,” said Connecticut star Janquel Jones, last season’s MVP, about her team’s approach after being held to eight points in the third quarter. “We’re going to play our style of basketball. Just the resilience of this team to come out here and play good basketball and be tough.”

“When adversity hits, sometimes we fold,” added Natisha Hiedeman. “Not no more. We're not folding no more. As you all saw[after] the third quarter, we picked up right back up once again. Now we're going to the championship. Job not done yet.”

JJ put up her trademark double-double with 15 points and 10 boards in just over 31 minutes played. Indeed, the Sun ended th contest on an 18-0 run, the longest scoring run to finish a playoff game in WNBA history. All five Connecticut starters scored in double digits including 15 from DeWanna Bonner, 14 from Natisha Heideman, and 12 points apiece from Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams.

Chicago’s Kahleah Copper led all scorers with 22 points, while Emma Meesseman added 14 points and Courtney Vanderslooth put in 12 for the Sky. One of the keys to the Sun’s victory was their ability to hold Chicago center Candace Parker to seven points on 28.6 percent shooting in 33 and a half minutes of play.

“It’s one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had professionally,” Sky head coach James Wade said. “It’s hard to put into words. This is going to hurt for a long time.” Chicago was attempting to become the first team to repeat as WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02.

The Sun now head to Las Vegas where they will challenge the Aces, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, in the WNBA Finals. The best-three-of-five series begins on Sunday, and tip-off for Game One will be at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ABC.

For the Finals, Games 1 and 2 will be played in Vegas, with games 3 and 4 (if necessary) in Connecticut. If a fifth game is necessary, it will be played in Vegas.

“There will be a new champion in this league,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “There will be a first-time franchise champion. There will be a new coach, once again, that will be a first-time champion.”

—With Staff Reports

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Thursday, August 4, 2022

Bees Win on Walk-Off Home Run

By Drew Mals (@MalsDrew)

NEW BRITAIN—The New Britain Bees defeated the Pittsfield Suns, 6-5, courtesy of a Tyler Pettorini (Ohio State) walk-off home run in a Futures Collegiate Baseball League game at New Britain Stadium Wednesday night. Pittsfield got out to an early 1-0 lead when Rob Taylor (New Haven) hit a sac-fly to right field that scored Bo Bramer (Fordham).

New Britain knotted things up in the second when Elliot Good (Central Connecticut State) hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Tyler Pettorini (Ohio State). The Bees took a 2-1 lead in the third on a base hit into left field from Jason Claiborn (Eastern Connecticut State) that drove in Jeff Nicol (Central Connecticut State).

Pettorini drove in his 21st run of the campaign when he knocked in Claiborn (Eastern) in the sixth to make it 3-1, New Britain.

The Bees had control most of the game until the eighth when Pittsfield was able to put up three runs when Pittsfield’s Matt Ryan (University of Maryland Baltimore County) hit a single into right field that scored Brennan Hyde (Nichols), Anton Lazits and Taylor (New Haven) giving the Suns a 4-3 lead. Taylor scored on an overthrow from Mark Coley (Rhode Island).

Coley redeemed himself when he hit a game-tying home run that even the game up at 4-4. The Bees took the lead when Good drove in Colton Shaw (Yale) on a sacrifice fly to right field giving the Bees a 5-4 lead heading into the ninth.

The game kept going back and forth in the late innings as Mike Marella (Fairfield) surrendered the game tying run to Pittsfield as Bramer knocked in Jack Ryan (UMBC).

The Bees were held scoreless in the ninth sending the game to extra innings. Marella was able to make quick work of the Suns, sitting them down one-two-three. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, it took just one batter for New Britain to finish of the game off as Pettorini absolutely crushed a walk-off homer into the night as Bees came out on top after some late inning fireworks.

The Bees are back in action Thursday night at home taking on the Norwich Sea Unicorns for the last matchup between the two Connecticut FCBL teams. It’s Thirsty Thursday presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon at New Britain Stadium with $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons available to fans 21 and older.

The Futures League is a summer circuit consisting of collegiate baseball players—primarily from area colleges and universities. Established in 2011, the Futures League is modeled after the Cape Cod League offering a friendly, fan-friendly environment mirroring the style of a minor league season, with games played from late May through August. The FCBL has garnered the reputation of being one of the most talented and competitive amateur baseball leagues in the country over its first decade of play with more than 150 of its players having been drafted by MLB organizations.

WP—Marella LP—Lazitz

—With Staff Reports

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Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Sun Stymie Mercury

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—Alyssa Thomas posted her second triple-double in less 11 days to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 97-63 victory over the Phoenix Mercury 87-63 before 6,130 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night. Thomas, who recorded her first triple-double in a win over the Minnesota Lynx on July 22, finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. The No. 4 pick overall in the 2014 draft, the 6-2 Thomas is just the fifth WNBA player with multiple triple-doubles. She joins Candace Parker (Chicago Sky) and Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) as the only players with more than one this season.

Natisha Hiedeman led the Sun in scoring with a 16-point effort. In all, seven Connecticut players scored in double digits—Thomas, Heideman, had 16 points to lead seven Connecticut players scoring in double figures joining DiJonai Carrington and DeWanna Bonner (12 points each), and Brionna Jones (11). In addition, Jonquel Jones, who has made a career out of putting up double-doubles, had another one on Tuesday with 10 points and 10 boards. It was only the 12thh time in WNBA history that seven or more players registered double-digit points in the same game. The Sun have done it three times.

The Mercury jumped out to an early 13-8 lead when Shey Peddy scored with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter. But the Sun turned up the defensive heat at that point and shut the Phoenix offense down for the next seven-plus minutes. The Mercury closed out the opening period with a 5-0 run to knot the score at 13-13 at the first turn.

Brionna Jones opened the second quarter with a layup to stake Connecticut to a 15-13 advantage, and the Sun would not relinquish that lead for the rest of the contest.

Former UConn nemesis Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sophie Cunningham scored 15 points apiece for Phoenix and Kaela Davis added 10. The Mercury, who fell to 13-18, now have dropped two straight games to fall a game behind Dallas for sixth place in the overall WNBA standings. Eight teams will qualify for the postseason.

UConn legend Diana Taurasi appeared to be dinged up and did not score. She was 0-for-6 from the field (including 0-for-4 from downtown) and turned the ball over four times. On the plus side, DT grabbed five rebounds—all off the defensive glass.

Sun Sign Sims

The Sun announced on Wednesday that the team has signed Odyssey Sims to a seven-day contract. Sims, drafted second overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, has played in the league for eight seasons with Tulsa, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Atlanta. In May, she re-signed with the Lynx and appeared in two games before being released. Throughout her238-game WNBA career, the former Baylor standout has averaged 12.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. While at Baylor she became the program’s all-time leader in assists (with 572) and three-point field goals made (223). She will wear No. 1 for Connecticut and will be available to play on day when the Sun and Mercury play their second game of the week.

Sun Spots

* With one steal in Tuesday’s contest, Alyssa Thomas moved into third all-time in steals in Connecticut Sun franchise history, tying Taj McWilliams-Franklin with 350 takeaways.

* AT notched her second triple-double of the season with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. She also passed the 800-assist mark in tonight’s win, now having dished out 804 in her career.

* With four rebounds, Courtney Williams is now tied with Chiney Ogwumike for ninth all-time in rebounding in Connecticut Sun history, with 712 rebounds.

* Connecticut finished the night shooting 45.9% (34-74), while holding Phoenix to 35.9% (23-64) from the field.

—With Staff Reports

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Bueckers Lost for Season With Torn ACL

STORRS—The UConn women’s basketball season took an enormous hit today when the school announced that junior guard Paige Bueckers, an favorite to earn National Player of the Year accolades for the second straight year, has torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will be sidelined for the entire 2002-23 season.

The 5-11 guard from Edina, MN sustained the injury during a pick-up basketball game and underwent an MRI Monday evening to confirm the injury. She will undergo surgery on Friday at UConn Health. An update on her recovery timetable will be made available following the procedure. Bueckers was a unanimas first-team All-America selection las season and earned AP Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year, and Naismith College Player of the Year along with the John R. Wooden and Nancy Lieberman Awards.

“We’re all devastated for Paige,” said UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma. “She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason, and this is an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player but she’s a better person and teammate and it’s really unfortunate that this has happened to her. We’ll miss her presence on the court, but she’ll do everything she can to still lead and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige through her healing process to help her come back better and stronger.”

—Staff Reports

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Monday, August 1, 2022

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.

—With Staff Reports

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