Connecticut sets new franchise regular season win record with 28th victory.
Uncasville, CT (September 19, 2024)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (28-12) defeated the Chicago Sky (13-27), 87-54, in their final regular season game of 2024. With the win, the Sun set a new franchise record for most wins in a single regular season with 28 (previously 27 set in 2023). Connecticut also sweeps Chicago, 4-0, for the first time since the Sky’s inaugural season in 2006.
Ty Harris led the way for Connecticut with 15 points, four assists and one block in 26 minutes of action. The effort marked the first time she has led the team in scoring this season.
Alyssa Thomas notched 13 points, all in the first half of action. She also added five rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 21 minutes in tonight’s win. With seven assists on night, she totaled 317 assists this season, setting a new franchise record for most assists in a single season. It also marked her 28th game this season dishing out at least seven assists, which is good for the most in the WNBA this year.
DiJonai Carrington notched her second career double-double with 12 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, two assists and one steal in the win. Marina Mabrey finished with 12 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa tied her season-high with 12 points, four rebounds, one steal and a season-high three blocks.
DeWanna Bonner rounded out the Sun’s double-figure scorers with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 24 minutes of play.
The Sun shot 50% (35-70) from the floor while holding the Sky to 33.9% (21-62) from the field on the night. It marked just the sixth time this season Connecticut has finished 50% or better from the field. The team is 6-0 when doing so.
The Sky saw three players finish in double-figures, led by Dana Evans who notched 14 points, two assists, one steal and one block in 21 minutes off the bench. Isabelle Harrison finished with a double-double, tallying 13 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Kaela Davis added 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks of her own.
1H: An 8-2 start to the contest by the Sun forced the Sky into a timeout with 6:36 to play in the first. A 6-0 run by the Sky tied the game 8-8, but the Sun closed the first on a 12-7 spurt to take a five-point lead, 20-15, heading into the second. Ty Harris notched nine of the Sun’s 20 first-quarter points to lead all scorers after ten minutes. The Sky began the second on an 8-4 run to cut the lead to one, 24-23, but the Sun pushed it back up to five with a 5-1 run of their own with 5:59 to play in the first half. The teams traded runs through out the final minutes of the second, but the Sun finished the half on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game into the locker room, 46-35. Harris and Alyssa Thomas each had 13 points to pace the Sun through twenty minutes.
2H: Connecticut began the second half on a quick 4-0 run to push their lead up to 15, 50-35, and force Chicago into a timeout with 8:55 to play in the third. The Sun went on to outscore the Sky, 23-6, in the third quarter to extend their lead to 28, 69-41, heading into the fourth. Connecticut began the fourth on a 6-5 spurt to increase their advantage to 29, 75-46, with 7:54 to play in the game. The Sun closed the game outscoring the Sky, 12-8, to seal the 87-54 victory.
Notes:
- The Sun outscored the Sky, 17-0, on the fast break. It was the first occasion this season the Sun has held an opponent to zero transition points.
- Connecticut held the advantage in the paint (42-24), in second chance points (13-5) and from the bench (32-26).
- DeWanna Bonner moved into sixth all-time in scoring in franchise history, passing Jonquel Jones. Bonner now has 2,662 points in a Sun uniform.
- The Sun recorded a season-high nine blocks in the win. It marked the first time Connecticut has tallied 9+ blocks in a game since July 20, 2023 and 21st time in franchise history.
- The Sky’s six points in the third quarter ties the lowest point total by a Sun opponent in a quarter this season (Phoenix 9/13- 6 points in the third quarter).
- Tonight was the third occasion this season where six Sun players finished with 10+ points.
| Team | Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | PTS | REB | AST |
| CON | 87 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 18 | Harris- 15 | Carrington- 12 | Thomas- 6 |
| CHI | 54 | 15 | 20 | 6 | 13 | Evans- 14 | Harrison- 11 | Allen- 5 |
NEXT GAME: The No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun host the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever in Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs on Sunday, September 22 at 3:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.