Connecticut Wins Back-And-Forth Battle with Washington, 84-77
Fourth-quarter surge secures second win of the season for the Sun.
Uncasville, CT (May 17, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (2-0) defeated the Washington Mystics (0-2), 84-77, in their second contest of the 2024 season. In a game with 16 lead changes and seven ties, the Sun were able to use a 19-4 run in the fourth quarter to secure the victory at home.
DeWanna Bonner led the Sun in scoring for the second-straight game, tallying 22 points, six rebounds, one assist and a career-high tying six steals. She scored 14 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter to close out the win for Connecticut.
DiJonai Carrington logged 21 points in a team-high 37 minutes, while also grabbing four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block on the night. Her 21-point outing was only two shy of her career-high. Alyssa Thomas filled the stat sheet with a double-double, notching 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block.
Moriah Jefferson nailed the Sun’s only two three-point field goals of the evening, finishing the night with eight points in 11 minutes off the bench. Olivia Nelson-Ododa also tallied eight points, along with one block in 17 minutes of action. Brionna Jones logged seven points and seven rebounds and finished the night with a +/- of +20.
Karlie Samuelson led the Mystics with 18 points, going 4-5 from beyond the arc. Rookie guard Julie Vanloo notched 12 points in 29 minutes off the bench while former UConn standout and rookie forward Aaliyah Edwards added six points, one assist and one block in 18 minutes of action.
Game Runs:
1Q: The Sun jumped out to a quick 4-0 start, but the Mystics responded on a 10-4 run to take a 10-8 lead into the first media timeout of the contest. DeWanna Bonner had four of Connecticut’s eight points during the opening minutes. Both teams tallied 10 points in the closing five minutes of the quarter, with Washington taking a two-point edge, 20-18, into the second. Moriah Jefferson led the Sun in scoring with five points, while DiJonai Carrington and Bonner added four each in the first frame.
2Q: Washington opened the second on an 8-6 spurt to extend their lead to four, 28-24, with 5:43 to go in the first half. Carrington accounted for four of the Sun’s six points to begin the quarter. The Sun rattled off eight unanswered out of the first media timeout of the quarter to force the Mystics into a timeout with 2:55 to go in the half, 32-28. Alyssa Thomas and Jefferson each notched three points on that run. The Mystics finished the quarter on an 8-4 spurt to tie that game, 36-36, at the break.
Carrington tallied 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in the first half to pace the Sun while, Jefferson and Bonner each had eight points heading into the locker room. The Sun forced the Mystics into 10 turnovers through twenty minutes, scoring 10 of their 36 points of those mistakes. Connecticut also outscored Washington, 11-0, in second chance points. The Sun struggled from beyond the arc, going just 2-13 (15.4%) in the first half, while the Mystics went 6-11 (54.5%).
3Q: The Sun opened the second half outscoring the Mystics, 9-8, to take a one-point edge, 45-44, heading into the first media timeout of the quarter. Carrington notched six of the Sun’s nine in the first minutes of the third. Washington finished the quarter on a 12-8 run to take a four-point lead heading into the fourth, 56-52. Carrington led the way with six third-quarter points, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa added five points in the frame for the Sun.
4Q: The Mystics opened the fourth nailing a three-pointer pushing their lead to seven, 59-52. The Sun then went on a 17-3 run to retake the lead, 69-62, forcing the Mystics into a timeout with 5:22 to play in the game. Bonner had eight of Connecticut’s 17 points on that stretch. Washington was able to cut it as close as three points down the stretch (80-77 with 13.9 seconds remaining), but Connecticut was able to hang on, closing the game on a 4-0 run and securing the 84-77 win.
Notables:
- The Sun outscored the Mystics in the paint (46-32), in second chance opportunities (17-4) and on the fast break (12-2).
- Connecticut shot just 10% (2-20) from beyond the arc in the win. The last time Connecticut shot 10% or worse from three was on June 26, 2022, against the Atlanta Dream, where they also went 2-20 (10%).
- DeWanna Bonner moved into sole possession of 9th all-time in games played in WNBA history, passing Tangela Smith, playing in her 464th career game this evening.
- The Sun recorded a season-high 14 steals and three blocks.
- Connecticut forced Washington into 22 turnovers, scoring 26 points of those mistakes. This marks the second game in a row where the Sun forced 20+ turnovers (Indiana committed 25 turnovers on 5/14).
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun take their first road trip to face the Indiana Fever on Monday, May 20 at 7:00PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
