Thomas eclipses WNBA single-season assist record in win.

Uncasville, CT (September 5, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (26-12) defeated the Los Angeles Sparks (16-22), 90-76. With the win, the Sun sweep the Sparks in 2023 regular season action, 3-0.

The Sun was led by Alyssa Thomas who finished with her sixth triple-double of the 2023 season, tallying a season-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, a season-high six steals and one block.

1Q- After trailing Los Angeles 9-2 early, Connecticut rattled off a 10-0 run to take a 12-9 lead with 4:18 to play in the first quarter. Thomas led the Sun early with four points, three rebounds, and one assist heading into the first media timeout of the game. Connecticut went on a 10-6 run out of that media timeout to take a 21-15 lead with 1:23 remaining in the first, forcing Los Angeles into a timeout. Each team finished the quarter notching five points, with the Sun taking a 26-20 advantage into the second. Thomas filled the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds and five assists through ten minutes of action.

2Q- Connecticut opened the second quarter outscoring Los Angeles, 6-4, to open up an eight-point lead, 32-24, with 6:39 remaining in the first half. Rebecca Allen, Tiffany Hayes and DeWanna Bonner each had two points on that stretch. The Sun finished the half outscoring the Sparks, 17-12, to push their lead up to 13 at the break, 49-36. Bonner led Connecticut in scoring with 15 points, while Thomas finished the first half with 10 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. Her 10 first-half assists ties a franchise record she previously set on June 1 against Minnesota for most assists in a single-half.

3Q- Los Angeles opened the second half outscoring Connecticut, 11-9, to cut the lead to 11, 58-47, with 6:26 to go in the third quarter. Thomas had five of the Sun’s nine to open the second half. The Sparks outscored the Sun, 15-12, the rest of the way to cut the Sun’s lead to eight, 70-62, heading into the fourth. Thomas had nine points, one rebound, two assists and two steals in the third quarter to lead Connecticut.

4Q- The Sparks cut the Sun’s lead to six, 72-66, with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Sun rattled off seven unanswered to push their lead back up to 13, 79-66, forcing the Sparks into a timeout with 6:35 to play in the game. Los Angeles was able to cut it as close as seven, 83-76, down the stretch, but Connecticut was ultimately able to close out the 90-76 victory. Thomas notched eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the closing ten minutes of the game.

Los Angeles was led by Azura Stevens and Dearica Hamby who both tallied 18 points on the night. Stevens finished with a double-double adding 11 rebounds, while Hamby tallied seven boards and one block in the effort.

Sun Notes:

• DeWanna Bonner finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and one block.
• Tiffany Hayes notched her 13^th straight game in double-figures tallying 13 points, three rebounds and one steal.
• Ty Harris added 10 points in 24 minutes off the bench in the win.
• With 14 assists in the game, Alyssa Thomas now has 304 assists this season. This marks a new WNBA single-season assist record. The previous record was held by Courtney Vandersloot who dished out 300 assists in 2019.
• With her stat line tonight, Alyssa Thomas is the first player in WNBA history to tally 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ steals in a single game.
• Thomas’ triple-double marks the 6^th of the 2023, 8^th in her WNBA regular season career and 10^th in her career including postseason play.
• Thomas led the Sun in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals tonight.
  • It is just the fifth time in WNBA history that one player has led a team outright in those four categories.
  • Thomas owns two of those five occasions also accomplishing this feat on August 1 against the Minnesota Lynx.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the Indiana Fever on Friday, September 8 at 7:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.