Sun improve to 10-3 on the season

Seattle, WA (June 20, 2023) – Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (10-3) beat the Seattle Storm, 85-79.

The Sun was led by Alyssa Thomas, who notched a triple-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals.

1Q – The Sun got off to a hot start, netting the first six points and forcing the Storm to call a timeout with 7:54 left in the opening frame. However, the Storm surged back behind a 14-point effort from Jewell Loyd, ending the quarter 25-22 in favor of the Storm. Brionna Jones led the Sun in the quarter with six points.

2Q – The Sun picked up their intensity out of the first quarter break, going on a 10-0 run and forcing the Storm into another timeout with 7:41 remaining in the second. The Storm went on a 15-4 run of their own, pushing the game to 40-38 with 2:46 left in the first half. The Sun withheld Seattle’s onslaught, heading into the locker room down three points, 48-45. DeWanna Bonner led Connecticut with 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists; netting 11 of her points in the second quarter.

3Q – Connecticut came out of the locker room with a renewed fire, starting the third quarter on a 15-5 run with 4:54 left in the frame. Natisha Hiedeman had a monster third quarter, tallying 10 points, while Alyssa Thomas notched her 5^th career triple-double with 1:26 left.

4Q – The Sun maintained its lead, despite the Storm outscoring them 23-18 in the fourth quarter. DeWanna Bonner led the Sun in the fourth with six points and passed Sylvia Fowles for 10^th All-Time in scoring in WNBA history with 6,417.

Seattle was led by Jewell Loyd, who tallied 33 points, two rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Connecticut shot 46.4% (32-69) from the field, while Seattle was 37.5% (24-64) from the floor. The Sun outscored the Storm in points in the paint (52-30), second chance points (10-8), fast break points (15-13), and points off turnovers (20-12).

Sun Notes:

• With her 11^th point at the 1:26 mark of the third quarter, Alyssa Thomas notched a triple-double. This is her 5^th career triple-double (regular and post season) and her first of the 2023 season.
• With her third assist at the 7:32 mark of the fourth quarter, DeWanna Bonner notched her 1,000^th career assist.
• DeWanna Bonner passed Sylvia Fowles for 10^th All-Time in scoring in WNBA history with 6,417.
• The Sun had a balanced scoring attack with all five starters in double figures: Bonner (20), Thomas (13), Jones (13), Hayes (12), and Hiedeman (17).

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, June 22 at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT.

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