High Flyer
At 5-foot-8, 136 pounds, Courtney Williams rebounds well above her size. At Indiana Sunday, Williams had nine rebounds. It’s the fourth time this season she has had at least nine boards in a game. She had nine in the first half at Washington (10/3) on the way to matching her career-high of 10. She is currently averaging six rebounds per game, which is third on the team behind Alyssa Thomas (9.9 rpg) and Chiney Ogwumike (7.8 per game). At her current pace, Williams will finish with 204 rebounds. That would be a remarkable total considering her size and build. Rebounding isn’t her only talent, however. Williams can also score. She set a franchise record with 15 made field goals against the Mystics (6/13), finishing with 34 points. That is the most ever by a Sun player in regulation. Pee Wee Johnson had 35 in a triple overtime game against Cleveland in 2002 when the franchise was still in Orlando. In the win at Indiana Sunday, Williams had 12 of Connecticut’s 19 points in the third quarter. She finished with 14 points and also dished out five assists.
An Emerging Force
Second year forward Brionna Jones had a big night Sunday at Indiana, finishing with career-highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds on the way to her first double-double in the WNBA. Jones established her previous career-high of 17 points just two games ago, at Phoenix (6/16), and her recent play has helped offset the continued absence of Alyssa Thomas, who has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury. Jones had seven points during a key fourth-quarter run that sealed the win for Connecticut Sunday. She averaged 11.9 points and 7.9 rebounds playing professionally in Russia during the offseason, and has clearly benefited from that experience.
Target Practice
Third-year guard Rachel Banham had her best night as a member of the Sun on Sunday, making all five of her three-point attempts on the way to a career-best 20 points in the win over the Fever. Banham was the fourth Sun player to go a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range, joining Kara Lawson, Tan White and Evanthia Maltsi. Her three made threes in the fourth quarter helped Connecticut break open a two-point game with a 21-8 run to start the fourth quarter. Banham graduated from the University of Minnesota as the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten history, with 3,093 career points.