GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- In their home opener at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Connecticut Sun defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 77-60, picking up their first win of the season.
- Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut in scoring for the second straight game, notching a double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal in the Sun’s first victory of 2022.
- Nneka Ogwumike and Jordin Canada both finished with 12 points for the Sparks who fall to 2-2 on the season.
- The Sun jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first quarter, forcing the Sparks to call an early timeout. The Sun continued to hold the Sparks scoreless until the 6:15 minute mark when Canada sank a pair of free-throws to make it 12-2.
- Connecticut held a 26-14 lead after the first quarter of action. Jonquel Jones and Thomas led the way for the Sun with ten points apiece after one.
- The Sun took a 49-25 lead over the Sparks into the locker room, outscoring them 23-11 in the second quarter. Jones had 16 points and nine boards, while A. Thomas tallied 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the way for the Sun at the break.
- Connecticut shot 48.5% from the field and held Los Angeles to just 23.3% after two quarters of action. The Sun dominated the paint in the first half, 20-8, and also outscored the Sparks in second chance points, 8-4.
- The Sparks opened up the third quarter on a 6-0 run, forcing the Sun to call a timeout with 8:46 left to play. DiJonai Carrington put the Sun on the board in the third quarter with a lay-up at the 7:15 mark.
- The Sparks outscored the Sun 19-8 in the third to cut Connecticut’s lead to 13, 57-44. Los Angeles shot 60% to Connecticut’s 22.2% in the third quarter.
- The Sun took back the reigns in the fourth, outscoring the Sparks 20-16 in the final ten minutes and winning the contest, 77-60. Thomas had six of her 23 points in the fourth to seal the victory for Connecticut.
- Jones notched her first double-double of the season, with 16 points and 12 rebounds, along with two assists, two steals and one block.
- Carrington finished with a season-high 13 points. She also had six rebounds, two assists and three steals in the win.
- Brionna Jones had another consist outing for Connecticut, filling the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in 32 minutes.
- Sun rookie Nia Clouden scored her first career points on a three-point basket in the fourth quarter. She finished the game with three points, one rebound, one assist, two steals and one block in 13 minutes off the bench.
- Yvonne Anderson played her first career minutes and scored her first career points in the win. She finished with two points, one rebound and one steal in 12 minutes off the bench for the Sun.
- Jonquel Jones passed both Kelsey Griffin and Shekinna Stricklen in games played in Connecticut Sun history. With tonight’s game, she now sits in eighth, playing in 165 games for the Sun.
- The Sun outscored the Sparks in the paint 40-28, in second chance points 17-10 and in fast break points 11-5.
- L.A.’s bench outscored Connecticut’s bench, 15-8. Chiney Ogwumike led the Sparks’ reserves with seven points.
- Connecticut shot 40% (28-70) on the night. Los Angeles finished shooting 35.2% (19-54) from the field.
- Tonight’s attendance totaled to 5,624.
ASJHA JONES CELEBRATION
- In tandem with the 20th Anniversary Celebration, the Connecticut Sun honored Sun and WNBA legend, Ashja Jones. The Sun placed her number alongside other Sun greats in the rafters of Mohegan Sun Arena.
- Jones played for the Sun for nine seasons from 2004-2012. She currently sits second in games played, second in points, second in total rebounds, eight in assists, tenth in steals and fifth in blocks in franchise history.
- During her time with Connecticut, Jones averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. She was named a WNBA All-Star twice (2007, 2009) and All-WNBA Second Team in 2008.
NEXT GAME
The Connecticut Sun hit the road on Tuesday, May 17 to play the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY at 7pm. The Sun visit the Liberty for the second time in ten days, looking to avenge their May 7 season opening loss, where they fell 81-79 to New York. Connecticut looks to have WNBA All-Stars Courtney Williams and DeWanna Bonner back in action, as both did not play in the first match up against New York this season. The Sun have won eight of the last ten contests against the Liberty, dating back to the 2018 season.