Sun nail season-high 14 three-point field goals
Washington, D.C. (August 31, 2024)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (23-8) defeated the Washington Mystics (9-23), 96-85, on the road in Washington D.C., ending the Mystics’ three-game win-streak. With the victory, the Sun sweep the Mystics during regular season play for the second straight season, 4-0.
Marina Mabrey led Connecticut with 21 points, a team-high six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action off the bench. She nailed five three-point field goals, one three shy of her career-high and logged her eighth 20+ point outing of the season.
With 16 points in the win, Sun guard-forward DeWanna Bonner moved into fourth all-time in scoring in WNBA history, passing Tamika Catchings. Bonner now has 7,381 points in her illustrious career and sits just 107 points from third all-time. She also added two points, two assists and one steal and finished a team-best +18 on the day.
DiJonai Carrington had a successful outing for the Sun, notching 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, four steals and one block in the win. She notched 11 of her 17 points in the first quarter of play. Ty Harris added 16 points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists, while Brionna Jones rounded out Connecticut double-figure scorers with 12 points, five rebounds and one assist.
Sun All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas went down in a collision with Mystics guard Karlie Samuelson, suffering a right leg injury at the 9:01 mark in the second quarter. She was cleared to return to the game by medical staff during the halftime break but did not log any minutes in the second half. She played just seven minutes in the game, finishing with one rebound and one assist.
The Sun had their best three-point shooting performance of the season, going 14/23 (60.9%) from beyond the arc on the day. Connecticut had only hit 14 three-point field goals or better in three games in franchise history entering today’s game. It marked the Sun’s first time hitting 14 three-point field goals since June 15, 2022. Washington also hit 14 three-pointers on the day, going 14/30 (46.7%) from long range.
The Mystics were led by Ariel Atkins who finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in the game. Stefanie Dolson added 14 points, going 4/5 from three-point territory.
Game Runs:
1H: The Sun jumped out to a 20-14 lead after the first quarter of play. DiJonai Carrington accounted for 11 of Connecticut’s 20 first-quarter points, going 3-3 from beyond the arc through the first ten minutes of play. An 8-2 start to the second for the Mystics tied the game, 22-22, with 8:40 to play in the first half. Connecticut was able to create some distance, going on a 17-10 run, to push their lead back up to seven, 39-32, with 3:50 remaining in the second. Washington finished the half on a 10-6 spurt to cut Connecticut’s lead to three, 45-42, heading into the locker room.
2H: It was a three-point barrage coming out of the halftime break courtesy of Marina Mabrey, as the Sun went on a 9-3 run to push their lead back up to nine, 54-45, forcing the Mystics into a timeout with 8:27 to play in the third. The Sun outscored the Mystics, 31-20, in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 14, 76-62, heading into the fourth. Connecticut pushed their lead up to 20 points at the beginning of the fourth, 84-64, but Washington went on a 9-0 run to cut the advantage back down to 11, 84-73, with 6:56 to play in the game. The Sun were able to keep the Mystics at bay down the stretch, as both teams finished the game tallying 12 points in the final seven minutes, leading to a 96-85 win for Connecticut.
Notes:
- The Sun outscored the Mystics in the paint (28-26), in second chance points (12-5) and on the fast break (16-8). Washington edged Connecticut in bench points, 38-35.
- Connecticut outrebounded Washington, 29-25, while both teams dished out 23 assists in the game.
- The Sun went 7/10 from beyond the arc in the first half, tallying the most three-point field goals they have made in any half this season.
- Washington’s 28 second quarter points marked the most Connecticut has given up in a second quarter this season.
- Veronica Burton matched her season-high with five assists in the win.
- The Sun shot a season-high 100% from the free-throw line, going 22/22 on the day.
- Connecticut only trailed for 49 seconds in the game (6:40-5:51 in the first quarter) and move to 11-1 when leading after the first quarter, 17-1 when leading at halftime and 20-1 when leading after the third quarter.
| Team | Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | PTS | REB | AST |
| CON | 96 | 20 | 25 | 31 | 20 | Mabrey-21 | Mabrey- 6 | Harris- 6 |
| WAS | 85 | 14 | 28 | 20 | 23 | Atkins- 15 | Dolson- 7 | Samuelson- 5 |
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the Seattle Storm in the first of two meetings this week on Sunday, September 1 at 1:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Area.