Sun pick up first Commissioner’s Cup victory of 2025 season.

Uncasville, CT (June 6, 2025)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (2-6) defeated the Atlanta Dream (5-3), 84-76, for their first home win and first Commissioner’s Cup win of the 2025 season. The Sun move to 1-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play, while the Dream fall to 0-1.

Marina Mabrey led the way for Connecticut, tallying a season-high 34 points, along with four rebounds, four assists and one block in the win. Her 34 points fell two short of her career-high and also her first 30+ outing since the 2023 regular season. She has gone for 30+ points four times in her WNBA career.

Tina Charles added 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 32 minutes played in the game. She went 8/13 from the floor and 3/4 from the free-throw line. With four rebounds in the game, Charles moved into fourth all-time in rebounding in Sun franchise history, passing Asjha Jones. She now has 1,450 rebounds in a Connecticut Sun uniform in her career.

The Sun trailed the Dream, 9-8, heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Atlanta then notched six unanswered to take a 15-8 lead with 2:27 to play in the first quarter and force Connecticut into a timeout. The Sun closed the first on a quick 5-2 spurt to close the gap to four, 17-13, heading into the second. Marina Mabrey notched seven points and two rebounds to lead Connecticut scorers through ten minutes.

Another 9-8 start to a quarter by the Dream gave them a five-point lead, 26-21, with 5:25 remaining in the first half. The Sun went on a 6-0 run to take a 27-26 lead with 4:29 to go in the second quarter. Both teams closed the quarter scoring nine apiece, with Connecticut taking a one-point lead into the locker room, 36-35. Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles each tallied eight points in the second quarter to pace the Sun.

The Sun began the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 46-37 lead over the Dream and force them into a timeout with 7:42 to play in the quarter. Connecticut led by as many as 13 in the quarter, 58-45, but Atlanta closed the third on a 16-4 run to cut the score to one, 62-61, heading into the fourth. Marina Mabrey notched 12 of her 34 points in the third to lead the Sun in the ten minutes coming out of the locker room.

Connecticut started the fourth on a 7-3 run to hold onto a five-point lead, 69-64, with 5:36 remaining in the game. Another 5-4 spurt by the Sun gave them a six-point lead, 74-68, with 2:39 to go in the fourth. Connecticut went on to outscore Atlanta, 22-15, in the final frame to secure the eight-point victory, 84-76. Charles and Mabrey each notched seven points in the closing quarter to lead the Sun to the win.

The Sun shot 50% (33/66) while holding the Dream to 41.2% (28/68) from the floor in the game. Connecticut was able to come away with the win, shooting just 3/15 from beyond the three-point arc, tying a season-low for three-point field goals made.

Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner each notched 18 points to lead Atlanta in scoring. Naz Hillmon added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes off the bench.

Notes:

• Bria Hartley added 11 points, four rebounds and a season and team-high six assists in the win.
• Rookie guard Saniya Rivers had another impressive outing, tallying nine points, five rebounds, two assists, a career-high tying three steals and a career-high tying two blocks.
• Prior to Marina Mabrey’s 34-point performance, the last time a Sun player has scored 30+ in a regular season game was DeWanna Bonner on August 24, 2023.
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa finished with a career-high tying three steals.
• Connecticut’s starters accounted for 75 of the team’s 84 points. The Sun’s nine bench points mark a new season low.
• The Sun outscored the Dream in the paint (44-32) and on the fast break (10-9), but the Dream held the advantage in second chance points (11-6).
• Today marked the Sun’s second Commissioner’s Cup game of the 2025 season. With the win, $3,000 will be donated to the ACLU of Connecticut, the Sun’s 2025 Commissioner’s Cup beneficiary.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Mystics on Sunday, June 8 at 3:00 PM ET at Entertainment and Sports Arena.