Liberty erase Sun’s 20-point lead to complete the comeback.

Uncasville, CT (August 24, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (23-11) fell to the New York Liberty (26-7), 95-90, in overtime. The Liberty now have a 3-0 advantage in the 2023 regular season series against the Sun.

The Sun was led by DeWanna Bonner who notched a double-double with 30 points and 12 rebounds, along with one assist and one block. With 30 points on the evening, Bonner moved into 7^th all-time in scoring in WNBA history, tying Sue Bird (6,803).

1Q- After trailing the Liberty, 4-0, the Sun rattled off 13 straight points to force a New York timeout with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter. Bonner had eight of Connecticut’s 13 points early, going 3-3 to start the game. New York finished the quarter on an 18-11 run to cut Connecticut’s lead to two, 24-22, heading into the second. Bonner led the Sun with eight points, while Tiffany Hayes added seven points after ten minutes of action.

2Q- New York began the second on an 8-5 spurt to take a 30-29 lead with 5:32 to go in the first half. The Sun responded on a 7-2 run to force the Liberty into a timeout with 2:27 left in the second, taking a 38-32 lead. Connecticut continued to push, finishing the half on a 10-2 run out of that timeout to take a 14-point lead into the locker room, 48-34.

Bonner led all scorers with 13 points at the break. Rebecca Allen added eight points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal and Alyssa Thomas notched eight points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal through twenty minutes of action. The Sun found success behind the three-point arc in the first half, knocking down eight three-point field goals to the Liberty’s three. Connecticut shot 51.5% (17-33) through two quarters of play while holding New York to 37.5% (12-32) from the floor in the first.

3Q- Connecticut carried their offensive energy into the second half, beginning the quarter on a 7-3 run to push their lead up to 18, 55-37, with 6:44 to go in the third and prompting New York into another timeout. Thomas either scored or assisted on all of the Sun’s points during that opening stretch. New York responded on a 9-3 run to force Connecticut into a timeout with 4:10 left in the third, 59-46. The Liberty continued to push, cutting the Sun’s lead to 10, heading into the fourth, 63-53. Thomas had six points, four assists and one steal to pace in the Sun in the third.

4Q- The Liberty opened the fourth outscoring the Sun, 9-8, to cut the lead to nine, 71-62, with 5:46 remaining in the quarter. Bonner nailed two triples for Connecticut in that stretch. The Sun held an 81-75 lead with a Bonner layup with 37.9 second left in regulation. New York’s Sabrina Ionescu nailed a quick three to cut the lead to three, 81-78, with 33.4 to go. Allen was fouled and converted 1-2 from the line to give Connecticut a four-point edge with 14.9 on the clock, 82-78. On the other end the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart had an offensive rebound and putback with 4.6 left to cut it to two, 82-80. Thomas threw it away on the inbounds pass, leading to an Ionescu three-point attempt in which she was fouled by Allen with 1.4 left in regulation. Ionescu sank 2-3 free-throws and sent the game into overtime, 82-82.

OT- Back-to-back buckets by Stewart to open the overtime period gave New York the 87-82 lead with 4:01 to play and forced the Sun into a quick timeout. The Sun wouldn’t get any closer than three points the rest of the way, dropping the overtime period, 13-8, and the game, 95-90.

New York was led by Breanna Stewart who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.

Connecticut shot 47.4% from the field, while New York was 44.0% from the floor on the night.

Sun Notes:

• Alyssa Thomas tallied her 24^th double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 assists, along with seven rebounds and three steals.
  • She now holds the WNBA record for most double-doubles in a single season, passing Tina Charles who tallied 23 double-doubles in the 2011 season with the Sun.
• Along with moving into 7^th all-time in scoring in WNBA history, DeWanna Bonner set a new single season record for points scored in Connecticut Sun history. She has 619 points this year through 34 games this year.
  • The previous record was held by Tina Charles who finished 2011 with 600 points for Connecticut.
• With seven rebounds in tonight’s game, Alyssa Thomas eclipsed 2,000 career-rebounds (2,001).
  • With her 2,000^th rebound, Thomas became the fastest player to compile 3,000+ points, 2,000+ rebounds and 1,000+ assists in WNBA history (273 games) and just the sixth player in league history accomplish the feat.
• DeWanna Bonner tied her career-high with six made three-point field goals. Her 12 rebounds also mark a season-high.
• The Liberty went 21-26 from the free throw line compared to the Sun going 7-8.
• Connecticut turned it over 12 times, resulting in 20 New York points.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, August 27 at 1:00 PM at Mohegan Sun Arena.