All five Sun starters finished in double figures.
Uncasville, CT (July 6, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (13-5) defeated the Seattle Storm (4-13), 93-73.
The Sun was led by Alyssa Thomas who finished with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block in 23 minutes of action. DeWanna Bonner also added 16 points, along with seven rebounds, one assist and one block.
1Q- Connecticut opened the contest on a 14-4 run, forcing Seattle into a timeout with 5:18 to go in the first quarter. Thomas got out to a hot start with five points, two rebounds and three assists in the early minutes. The Sun held the Storm scoreless out of that timeout until the 1:48 mark.
Connecticut finished the quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 29-6 lead into the second. Thomas led all scorers with 11 points, while Bonner and Rebecca Allen each added seven after one quarter of action. The Sun went 72.2% (13-18) from the floor while holding the Storm to 17.6% (3-17) in the first. Connecticut dished out a franchise record-tying 11 assists in the first quarter.
2Q- The Storm opened the second quarter outscoring the Sun, 7-6, to cut the lead to 22, 35-13, with 5:42 remaining in the half. Bonner and Ty Harris each knocked down three-point field goals in that stretch for Connecticut. The Sun finished the half on a 22-11 run to take a 57-24 lead into the locker room.
Thomas led Connecticut with 13 points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in the first half. Bonner added 13 points, six rebounds, one assists, one steal and one block after twenty minutes of action. The Sun tallied a season-high 57 first half points, including 18 points off 15 Storm turnovers. The Sun’s 33-point halftime lead marked the largest halftime lead by any team this season.
3Q- Seattle opened the second half on a 7-0 run to cut Connecticut’s lead to 26, 57-31, with 8:37 to go in the third quarter. The Sun responded on a 10-2 run to push their lead back up to 34, 67-33, with 6:36 remaining in the quarter, forcing the Storm into a timeout. Connecticut took an 80-45 lead into the fourth quarter, after winning the third, 23-21. Harris tallied six of her 11 points in the third to lead the Sun.
4Q- The Storm opened the fourth on a quick 4-0 spurt, forcing the Sun into a timeout with 8:09 to play in the game. Seattle went on to outscore Connecticut, 28-13, in the fourth quarter, but Connecticut was able to seal the victory, 93-73.
Seattle was led by Jewell Loyd who tallied 22 points, two rebounds and two assists in the effort.
Connecticut shot a season-high 54% (34-63) from the floor, while holding Seattle to 38.8% (26-67) from the field on the night.
Sun Notes:
- With 16 points in tonight’s win, DeWanna Bonner eclipsed 6,500 points in her career. She is one of nine players in league history to achieve the feat.
- DeWanna Bonner moved into 13th all-time in scoring in Sun history, passing Alex Bentley (1,681).
- Natisha Hiedeman moved into 13th all-time in assists in Sun history, tying Jonquel Jones (315).
- DeWanna Bonner moved into 16th all-time in games played in WNBA history, tying Taj McWilliams-Franklin (440).
- Olivia Nelson-Ododa grabbed a season-high nine rebounds.
- The Sun’s 18 first-half assists tied a franchise record.
- All five starters finished in double figures for the second time this season- Allen (14), Bonner (16), Thomas (16), Hayes (14) and Hiedeman (14).
- The Sun’s 33-point halftime lead was one point shy of a franchise record (34 against New York Liberty on 6/15/12).
|
Team |
Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | PTS | REB | AST |
| CON | 93 | 29 | 28 | 23 | 13 | Bonner/Thomas- 16 | Nelson-Ododa- 9 | Thomas- 7 |
| SEA | 73 | 6 | 18 | 21 | 28 | Loyd- 22 | Whitcomb- 9 | Nurse/Whitcomb- 4 |
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back home on Sunday, July 9 to take on the Washington Mystics at 3:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.