— Diamond Miller Surpassed 1,000 Career Points, Gianna Kneepkens and Raegan Beers Set New Career Highs —

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (September 20, 2026) – The Connecticut Sun (10-32) battled tough against the Minnesota Lynx (32-10) but dropped the game, 101-89, Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena in the team’s second-to-last home game in franchise history.

Diamond Miller, Leila Lacan and Gianna Kneepkens all tallied 15 points apiece. Aaliyah Edwards totaled 12 points while Raegan Beers notched 11 points off the bench. Charlisse Leger-Walker snagged 10 points to pair with eight assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block.

Napheesa Collier grabbed back-to-back baskets to start the game, marking her first match against Connecticut this season. Miller started the Sun’s offense with a drive to the rim after a dish from Saniya Rivers. Courtney Williams shot down a midrange two, followed by Natasha Howard’s layup. Williams got in from distance to notch seven straight points for the Lynx before Lacan scored off a jumper within the arc to snap the Lynx’s run. Williams and Edwards swapped scores before Collier converted a three-point play. Howard scored four points, split between the foul line and a tap-in bucket before Collier added three more points to surmount a 17-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first frame. Kneepkens got around defenders for her first points of the match, and Ashlon Jackson shot it off from deep to help Connecticut crest double figures, sparking a 5-0 run to end the frame.

To start the second quarter, Kneepkens shot a dagger from downtown. After Olivia Miles notched her first points from the charity stripe, Howard found a lane in the paint to score. Miles followed to start a 6-0 run, but Edwards added two points for Connecticut. Maya Caldwell fired off a shot from midrange. Lacan answered with a deep three, but Collier found another bucket down the stretch. Miller also got hot from beyond the arc, followed by Nell Angloma from 24’ out. Howard found a shot at the glass and Miles got an open lane to score a layup. Collier scored under the basket but Miller knocked down two shots from the foul line before Lacan forced a turnover to regain possession. Lacan turned that regained possession into points with a three-pointer. After Miles hit two shots from the charity stripe, Lacan scored five points back-to-back to narrow Minnesota’s once-20-point lead down to 11 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. Collier scored from within the arc, but Charlisse Leger-Walker evened it out with two picked up at the free throw line. Connecticut’s momentum had fully swung as Kneepkens buried another three. Collier converted a three-point play again, but Leger-Walker added more points with a layup down the stretch. Caldwell dropped in a shot to beat the buzzer, accounting for a 12-point Lynx lead heading into the half.

Miles and Collier started the second half off with a six-straight siege, but Miller got hot from beyond the arc to start the half. Miller drained another shot from downtown while Edwards added two at the line. Miller found an opening at the rim but Howard snagged a second chance point. Kneepkens fired off from three-point range to set a new career high. Kayla McBride answered with a three before Edwards broke up Minnesota’s offense with a steal. Edwards broke a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought on the court with a driving layup before Beers posted under the rim for two points, plus the and-1, bringing the Sun within eight points. Jackson knocked down a shot from deep, but Miles responded with a shot from three for the Lynx. Beers shot a contested basket and converted the and-1, but McBride gathered two points at the line to end the third.

Beers and Dorka Juhasz traded baskets to start the final frame. Beers scored again after Leger-Walker found her at the rim. Miles got a shot off close, followed by Juhasz, before scoring again to kickstart a 6-0 run. Edwards dropped a three, but Williams answered with a long two and Howard found an open lane to recoup a 16-point lead. Lacan dropped one in at the rim, followed by Kneepkens to inch closer to the Lynx. Howard got open and scored two more points to start the final three minutes. Leger-Walker hit a buzzer-beating three to bring the Sun back within 10 points. Howard followed with a layup and McBride notched a three to expand Minnesota’s lead. Leger-Walker shot from three-point range and Howard turned the ball over. Kneepkens added points off free throws before Liatu King added a midrange two. Leger-Walker swatted a block but Aari McDonald found a shot. Hailey Van Lith scored on the Sun’s final possession with a drive to the basket to finish the game.

With five players reaching double figures, including two off the bench, the Sun totaled 22 assists. Connecticut also shot lights out from three, shooting 15-of-28 (53.6%) against Minnesota’s 4-of-21 from three. The Lynx outscored the Sun in the paint, 50-32, but the Sun outscored the Lynx off the bench, 37-14. Minnesota had 20 second-chance points to Connecticut’s five, and also had forced 20 turnovers, scoring 25 points off them, versus the Sun forcing 11 turnovers and scoring 13 points off them.

Game Notes:

The Sun shot a season-high 15 threes against Minnesota’s season-low-tying four.

Kneepkens (15 points) and Beers (11 points) both set new career records, surpassing their previous highs of 10 points.

The Sun rallied after being down by as many as 20 points in the first half with a 31-point second quarter and key baskets to bring the Sun within seven points.

Team	Score	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	PTS	REB	AST
CON	89	12	31	24	22	Miller/Lacan/Kneepkens – 15	Edwards/Leger-Walker – 5	Leger-Walker – 9
MIN	101	27	28	21	25	Collier – 23	Howard – 11	McBride/Miles – 6

NEXT GAME: The Sun travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Mystics on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 PM at CareFirst Arena. The game is the Sun’s final road game in franchise history.

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