Sun hang on in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Uncasville, CT- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (6-26) defeated the Chicago Sky (8-24), 71-62, at home at Mohegan Sun Arena. With the win, the Sun move to 1-1 against the Sky during the 2025 regular season with their next match up coming on August 23 in Chicago.

Rookie Leila Lacan led the Sun with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 30 minutes played. Lacan finished 6/13 from the field and 4/6 from the charity stripe in the win. The outing marks the first time Lacan has led the team in scoring this season and the seventh time the Sun have been led in scoring by a rookie (Aneesah Morrow- 6).

Tina Charles added 15 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 21 minutes on the night. She scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half of action. Marina Mabrey rounded out the Sun’s double-digit scorers with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

20 of Connecticut’s 71 points came from the bench tonight, with Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Saniya Rivers each recording eight points. Rivers also became the 8^th rookie in WNBA history to tally eight points, three rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in a regular season game. Nelson-Ododa tied her career-high with three steals on the night.

The Sun trailed the Sky, 10-6, heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Marina Mabrey had four of Connecticut’s six points through five minutes of play. The Sun closed the first on a 15-8 run to take a 21-18 lead into the second. Leila Lacan notched seven of her 17 points, in the first quarter, along with one rebound, one assist and one steal to pace the Sun in the opening frame.

Connecticut began the second on a 6-3 spurt to take a 27-21 lead with 6:35 to play in the first half. Leila Lacan, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliayh Edwards each had a bucket to start the quarter. The Sun went on a 13-5 run to extend their lead to 14, 40-26, and force the Sky into a timeout with 2:24 to play in the second. Both teams notched one more basket each to close the quarter, with Connecticut taking the 42-28 lead into the locker room. Chicago’s 10 points in the second mark a new season-low for Sun opponents in the second quarter.

A 9-2 start to the second half by the Sun gave them the 51-32 lead with 5:45 to play in the third quarter. Connecticut led by as many as 21 in the third quarter, but Chicago was able to close the gap to 15, 60-45, heading into the fourth. Tina Charles led the Sun with six points and two rebounds in the third quarter. The Sky began the fourth on a 7-0 run to trim the Sun’s lead to eight, 60-52, with 6:40 to play in the game. Connecticut was held scoreless until Tina Charles knocked down a three-pointer with 5:30 to play in the fourth. Chicago closed the gap to as close as four, 60-56, but Connecticut was able to hang on, closing the game on an 11-6 run to secure the 71-62 win.

The Sun shot 40.8% (29/71) while the Sky finished 38.7% (24/62) from the floor in the game. Connecticut struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 23.5% (4/17) on the night, while Chicago shot 25% (5/20).

Kamila Cardoso led Chicago with 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block. Elizabeth Williams added a double-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Notes:

• The Sun shot a season-low 60% (9/15) from the free-throw line.
• Connecticut recorded a season-low six turnovers on the night, results in just five Chicago points. The Sun turned Chicago over 21 times, scoring 16 points of their mistakes.
• Chicago did not record a steal in tonight’s game, marking just the third game in Connecticut Sun history where their opponent did not record a steal (7/11/21 vs. NYL and 6/1/03 vs. SAN).
• Five of the Sun’s six wins have come at home this season.
• Aneesah Morrow led the Sun in rebounding for the 12^th time, grabbing nine boards. She also recorded a new career-high three blocks.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they host the Indiana Fever at 1:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.