Sun use fourth quarter spark to seal the victory.

Uncasville, CT (June 8, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (8-2) took down the Atlanta Dream (2-5), 89-77. With the victory, the Sun are the first team in the WNBA to eight wins this season.

The Sun was led by Brionna Jones who tallied 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Connecticut found themselves down 10-0 early into the contest after missing their first five field goal attempts of the game. The Sun responded with an 8-4 spurt to cut the lead to six, 14-8, with 4:42 to play in the first quarter. Connecticut finished the quarter on a 17-10 run to take a one-point lead into the second, 25-24. Alyssa Thomas led the Sun with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal early.

The Sun and Dream traded baskets opening the second quarter, with the Sun holding onto to a one-point lead, 32-31, with 5:45 to play in the half. Connecticut finished the second on a 16-13 run to push their lead up to four at the break, 48-44.

Connecticut starters, Tiffany Hayes and Brionna Jones, each picked up three fouls in the first half, limiting their minutes for the Sun. The Sun’s Alyssa Thomas was also sidelined with a shoulder injury for the final 3:29 of the second quarter. Connecticut’s bench picked up the slack, tallying 20 points in the first half, including seven points from Olivia Nelson-Ododa and six points for DiJonai Carrington.

The Sun outscored the Dream, 17-16, in the third quarter to take a five-point advantage into the fourth, 65-60. Thomas tallied four points, four rebounds and four assists to lead Connecticut out of the locker room.

Connecticut began the fourth on a 12-2 run to push their lead up to 15, 77-62. However, Atlanta responded on a quick 6-0 spurt to cut it back to nine, 77-68, with 5:17 left in the game. The Sun outscored the Dream, 12-9, the rest of the way to seal the 89-77 victory.

Atlanta was led by Cheyenne Parker who finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Connecticut shot 43.8% (32-73) from the field, while holding Atlanta to 41.9% (26-62) from the floor. The Sun forced a season-high 26 turnovers, scoring 42 points off those Dream mistakes, two-shy of a Sun franchise record.

Sun Notes:

• Alyssa Thomas finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the game.
• Ty Harris logged a season-high 15 points, along with two rebounds, one assists and three steals in the win.
• DiJonai Carrington tallied a season-high 12 points and season-high six rebounds.
• With eight assists in the game, Alyssa Thomas eclipsed the 900 career-assist mark (907).
• With 15 points in the win, Ty Harris now has 500 career-points.
• With one steal in the game, DeWanna Bonner moved into 16^th all-time in franchise history, tying Shekinna Stricklen (127).
• The Sun tallied a season-high 35 bench points.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, June 15 at 7:00 PM EST at Mohegan Sun Arena.