Rookie Leila Lacan goes for a career-high outing in the effort.

Brooklyn, NY- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (9-28) fell to the New York Liberty (23-15), 81-79, on the road in Brooklyn. With the loss the Sun fall to 1-3 against the Liberty during the 2025 regular season. Connecticut trailed by as many as 17 in the game and were able to rally late but were unable to close out the game with a win.

Rookie guard Leila Lacan led the Sun with a career-high 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the game. She finished 9/15 from the floor, including 2/3 from beyond the three-point arc. Lacan has tallied at least two steals in 13 games for Connecticut this season.

Rookie forward Aneesah Morrow added her fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Her 15 boards ties Washington’s Kiki Iriafen for most rebounds by a rookie in a game this season. Marina Mabrey notched 16 points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal in the game. Tina Charles rounded out the Sun’s double-digit scorers with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

The Liberty began the game on a 13-5 run to force the Sun into a timeout with 6:31 to play in the contest. New York shot 62.5% (5/8) to start the game, while Connecticut went just 33.3% (2/6) in the opening minutes. A quick 5-2 run by the Sun closed the gap to five, 15-10, but the Liberty ended the quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 27-15 lead into the second. Marina Mabrey led Connecticut with six points, one rebound and two assists through the first quarter of action.

Connecticut started the second on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to six, 27-21, and force New York into a timeout with 8:15 to play in the first half. Leila Lacan had four of the Sun’s six on that stretch. The Sun closed the second outscoring the Liberty, 15-10, to cut the deficit to one, 37-36, heading into the locker room at the break. Leila Lacan led Connecticut with nine points and three rebounds, while Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles each added eight points in the first half.

The Sun began the second half on a 15-11 run to take a 51-48 lead with 3:56 to play in the third. Aneesah Morrow scored 10 of Connecticut’s 15 points to begin the second half, including going 3/3 from beyond the three-point arc. New York closed the third outscoring Connecticut, 10-8, to trim the Sun’s lead to one, 59-58, heading into the fourth. Aneesah Morrow notched 12 of her 18 points in the third quarter to lead the Sun in scoring coming out of the locker room.

New York started the fourth on a 9-7 spurt to take a 67-66 lead with 5:46 to play in the game. Marina Mabrey had five of the Sun’s seven points to begin the quarter. The Liberty scored seven unanswered to extend their lead to eight, 74-66, with 3:47 left in the fourth. Connecticut went on an 11-7 run to cut the deficit to four, 81-77, with 51.7 to play in the game. A pair of free-throws from Aaliyah Edwards with 23.6 seconds left in the fourth trimmed the Liberty’s lead to two, 81-79. Leila Lacan was able to steal the ball away from the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu on their final offensive possession, but her last-minute lay-up with 2.2 seconds left was blocked and New York held on for the 81-79 win.

The Sun shot 42.3% (30/71), including 10/21 (47.6%) from beyond the three-point arc. New York finished shooting 50% (29/58) and 38.9% (7/18) from three-point territory.

Connecticut outrebounded New York, 34-30, but the Liberty won the assist battle, 26-15. The Liberty outscored the Sun in the paint, 38-26, and the fast break, 8-4, but the Sun won the second chance opportunities, 15-11, and the bench production, 26-12.

Breanna Stewart led the Liberty in her first game back from injury with 19 points, five rebounds and one block. Jonquel Jones added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun close out their three-game road-trip in Texas, taking on the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, August 27 at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT.