Alyssa Thomas shines as Connecticut remains undefeated.
Indianapolis, IN (May 20, 2023)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (3-0) defeated the Indiana Fever (0-4) in a down to the wire matchup, 88-84, in Indianapolis. The Sun picked up their first road win of 2024 and tenth straight regular season victory over the Fever, dating back to the 2021 season.
Alyssa Thomas finished one assist shy of a triple-double, leading the way for Connecticut with a season-high 24 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes of action. This marks the first time in WNBA history where a player has recorded at least 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in a single contest.
DeWanna Bonner added a season-high-tying 22 points of her own, along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Ty Harris notched 16 points, including a vital 13 points in the final quarter to propel the Sun in the closing minutes.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell each had 17 points to lead the Fever on the night. The Sun forced the Fever into 17 turnovers, resulting in 22 points.
Game Runs:
1Q: The Sun opened the contest outscoring the Fever, 20-12, heading into the first media timeout. Alyssa Thomas tallied seven points and five rebounds to lead Connecticut through the first five and a half minutes. Indiana finished the quarter on a 14-6 run out of the media timeout to tie the game heading into the second, 26-26. Thomas notched 11 points, six rebounds and one assist to lead the Sun after ten minutes of play.
2Q: Both squads opened the second tallying eight points apiece, 34-34, with 5:44 to play in the first half. The Sun gained a lead by as many as five points, 41-36 with 3:04 to play in the second, but the Fever finished the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 44-41 lead into the locker room. Thomas led all scorers at the break with 14 points, along with nine rebounds, three assists and one block. Brionna Jones added eight points and three boards, while DeWanna Bonner and DiJonai Carrington each notched six first-half points. Connecticut’s three-point shooting struggles from Friday night’s contest continued, going just 1-11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc through two quarters of play tonight.
3Q: The Sun began the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 49-44 lead, forcing the Fever into a timeout with 8:19 to play in the third. Bonner had four of Connecticut’s eight on that spurt. The Sun were able to push their lead up to as many as nine, 62-53 with 2:28 to play in the quarter, but the Fever finished the frame on an 8-2 run to cut the Sun’s lead to three, 64-61, heading into the fourth.
4Q: Indiana began the fourth on an 11-4 run to take a four-point edge, 72-68, with 6:04 to play in the game. Two free-throws from Carrington and a jumper from Ty Harris closed the gap for Connecticut, tying that game, 72-72, with 5:16 to go. The Fever responded on another 4-0 push from a pair of free-throws from Caitlin Clark and a layup from Temi Fagbenle, 76-72, with 4:48 left in the fourth. Connecticut then went on a 7-0 run, with Harris accounting for six of those seven points to regain the lead, 79-76 with 2:51 on the clock. Indiana and Connecticut traded baskets down the stretch, with the game tied 82 all with 1:04 to go in the fourth.
Thomas found Bonner for a layup with 44 seconds left and the Fever responded with a paint jumper from Aliyah Boston, tying the game once again 84-84, with 29 seconds on the clock. Harris drew a foul on the Sun’s next offensive possession and sank two free-throws to put the Sun up, 86-84, with 11 second to go in the game. Indiana was not able to capitalize on their final offensive set, Boston missing the layup and Thomas grabbing the board and drawing a foul with 5.1 to go. Thomas sank both free throws and secured the Sun’s 88-84 victory.
Notables:
- The Sun shot 40.5% (30-74), while the Fever went 47.8% (33-69) on the night.
- Connecticut grabbed a season-high 33 rebounds, including a season-high 15 offensive boards.
- The Sun committed a season-low eight turnovers. Connecticut’s last performance with single-digit turnovers came on July 25, 2023 against Dallas (9 TOs).
- Tonight, marked Alyssa Thomas’ 71st career double-double. She is now nine double-doubles shy of first all-time in Sun franchise history.
- The Fever outscored the Sun in the paint (48-42), while the Sun won the battle on the fast break (11-10) and in second chance points (24-20).
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back home, hosting the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.