Arlington, Texas — The Connecticut Sun are back in the WNBA playoffs for the second straight year, clinching a spot by defeating the Dallas Wings 101-92 Wednesday night at College Park Center.
It was the fifth straight win for the Sun (17-12), and the fourth win in a row over the Wings (14-15) dating back to last year.
It was another offensive clinic for Connecticut, which reached 100 points for the second game in a row and franchise-record sixth time this season. One game after setting a franchise record with 46 made field goals, the Sun had 40 more with 25 assists, and are averaging 97.6 points and 23 assists on 39.6 made field goals during this winning streak.
Alyssa Thomas led five Sun players in double figures with a season-high 22 points on a career-high 10 made field goals while collecting five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Jasmine Thomas had 17 points and tied a season-high with nine assists, matching the assist total she had in the first meeting with the Wings (7/22). Jonquel Jones had 17 points off the bench and Chiney Ogwumike contributed 13 points and five rebounds.
Courtney Williams had her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She has now had a career-high 10 rebounds four times this season and five times overall.
Liz Cambage (29 points, nine rebounds), Skylar Diggins-Smith (18 points), Azura Stevens (15 points, nine rebounds) and Theresa Pleisance (13 points, six rebounds) led the Wings.
The Sun led 28-22 after one quarter, and took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Wings 20-10 to build a 48-32 lead at halftime. Coming off a career-high 30 points against Las Vegas three nights earlier, Jasmine Thomas led the Sun with 10 points and five assists in the first half
The Sun led by as much as 22 on multiple occasions, and carried an 80-60 lead into the fourth quarter. The visitors were still leading 96-81 with 2:29 remaining, but the Wings managed to make it interesting late, using a 9-0 run to get within 96-90 with 42.7 seconds left.
The Sun closed the door at that point, however.
Connecticut plays its last road game of the regular season at Chicago on Friday night.