Mercury snap Sun’s three-game win streak.

Phoenix, AZ (July 18, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (15-6) fell to the Phoenix Mercury (5-15), 72-66, in their first game back from the WNBA All-Star break. The Sun had won previous six matchups against the Mercury dating back to the 2021 season.

In the loss, Alyssa Thomas dished out seven assists, passing Jasmine Thomas (994) into first all-time in assists in Connecticut Sun history. She now has 999 assists over ten seasons in the WNBA.

The Sun was led by DeWanna Bonner who notched a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the effort.

1Q- The Sun and Mercury were knotted 8-8 heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Thomas and Tiffany Hayes each had four points in the opening five minutes. Phoenix finished the quarter on a 11-7 run to take a 19-15 lead into the second. Hayes led all scorers with eight points in the first.

2Q- The Mercury opened the second on 8-4 run to extend their lead to eight, 27-19, with 6:42 remaining in the first half. Phoenix continued their run to build a 12-point lead, 37-25, forcing Connecticut into a timeout with 3:21 to go in the second. The Sun were able to close the gap, ending the quarter on a 9-6 run to cut the Mercury’s lead to nine, 43-34, heading into the locker room.

Hayes led the Sun with 10 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Thomas added nine points, two rebounds and three assists in the first half. The Sun struggled offensively, shooting 35.5% (11-31), while the Mercury went 54.8% (17-31) from the field, including 7-13 from three-point territory, in the first twenty minutes of action.

3Q- The Sun opened the second half on a 6-3 spurt to cut the Mercury’s lead to six, 46-40, with 7:27 remaining in the third. Rebecca Allen had four of Connecticut’s on that run. After cutting the lead to three, 46-43, with 4:47 left in the quarter, the Mercury went on a 7-0 run to build their lead back up to 10, 53-43, with 2:46 to go in the third. Each team tallied five points to close the quarter, with the Sun trailing the Mercury, 58-48, heading into the fourth. Bonner notched eight points in the third to lead Connecticut.

4Q- Connecticut opened the fourth on a 9-5 run to close the gap, 63-57, with 7:17 to go in the quarter. Ty Harris and DiJonai Carrington each knocked down triples on that stretch. The Sun were able to cut the lead to two, 63-61, with 5:29 remaining, but the Mercury finished the contest on a 9-5 run to take the 72-66 victory.

Phoenix was led by Sophie Cunningham who tallied 17 points, going 5-9 from beyond the three-point line.

Connecticut shot 36.1% (22-61), while Phoenix shot 41.9% (26-62) on the night.

Sun Notes:

• DiJonai Carrington tallied 10 points and Ty Harris notched nine points, behind a season-high three three-point field goals off the bench.
• With two offensive rebounds in the game, Alyssa Thomas is now tied with Jonquel Jones for second all-time in offensive rebounds in Connecticut Sun history (520).
• The Sun dished out a season-low 14 assists.
• Connecticut outscored Phoenix in the paint (26-18), on the fast break (14-5), on second chance opportunities (14-5) and from the bench (22-11).
• The Sun turned the ball over 12 times, resulting in 18 points for the Mercury.
• The Mercury’s 11 three-point field goals are the most the Sun have let up this season.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back in action on Thursday, July 20 when they host the Atlanta Dream for an 11:30 AM ET Camp Day matchup at Mohegan Sun Arena.