Connecticut rallies after being down 12 but cannot complete the comeback.
Uncasville, CT (September 17, 2024)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (27-12) fell to the Minnesota Lynx (30-9), 78-76, at home at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun drop back-to-back contests for just the third time this season. With two wins earlier this season against the Lynx, the Sun still take the regular season series, 2-1.
Alyssa Thomas finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double, notching her 14th double-double of the season with 18 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. It marks the first game the Sun has lost this season when Thomas finishes with at least 10 assists (9-1).
DiJonai Carrington tallied 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal on the night. Marina Mabrey notched 13 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks in 30 minutes off the bench. Brionna Jones rounded out the Sun’s double-digit scorers, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the effort.
The Sun shot 45.5% (30-66) from the floor, while the Lynx went 46.9% (30-64) on the night. Both teams grabbed 31 rebounds, while Minnesota edged Connecticut on the assist tally, 22-21. Connecticut turned the ball over 16 times, resulting in 16 points for Minnesota, while the Lynx turned the ball over 15 times, resulting in 19 points for the Sun.
Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks in the game. Kayla McBride added 14 points, while Courtney Williams dished out 12 assists, the most by any player against the Sun this season.
The Sun outscored the Lynx in the paint (46-28), in second chance points (12-9), on the fast break (11-5) and from the bench (15-9). There was a total of 10 lead changes and three ties in tonight’s game.
Game Runs:
1Q: The Sun trailed the Lynx, 13-9, heading into the first media timeout. Minnesota opened the contest making their first five field goals. An 11-2 run by Connecticut gave them a 20-15 lead with 1:35 to play in the quarter, but Minnesota finished the opening frame on a quick 7-2 spurt to tie the game, 22-22, heading into the second. DiJonai Carrington tallied six points through the first ten minutes to lead the Sun. The Sun outscored the Lynx 16-6 in the paint in the first quarter.
2Q: The two teams opened the second trading baskets, with Minnesota taking a one-point edge, 34-33, with 4:59 to play in the first half. Alyssa Thomas had six of the Sun’s 11 points to open the second. The Lynx closed the half outscoring the Sun, 8-4, to take a five-point lead into the locker room, 42-37. Mabrey led Sun scorers at the break with nine points, going 3/6 from beyond the arc through twenty minutes of play. The Sun turned the ball over nine times in the first half, resulting in 12 points for the Lynx.
3Q: The Sun trailed the Lynx, 52-44, with 4:56 to play in the third after the Lynx opened the second half on a 10-7 run. Connecticut turned the ball over four times through the first five minutes of the quarter. Minnesota finished the quarter outscoring Connecticut, 10-9, to take a nine-point lead into the fourth, 62-53. Ty Harris scored six of her nine points in the third to lead the Sun in scoring.
4Q: The Sun were able to trim the Lynx’s lead to four, 66-62, with 4:19 to play after beginning the fourth on a 9-4 run. Connecticut continued their push, taking the lead, 70-69, with 2:25 to play in the game. The Lynx responded taking a 73-72 lead with 36.6 seconds remaining. Alyssa Thomas put Connecticut up one with a jumper, 74-73, with 22.9 seconds left in the fourth. Napheesa Collier responded for Minnesota, putting the Lynx up one, 75-74, with 11.4 seconds on the clock. Thomas then found DeWanna Bonner on a set play with 8.5 seconds to go, putting the Sun back up one, 76-75. Minnesota advanced the ball and found Bridget Carleton from beyond the arc, putting the Lynx up two, 78-76, with 3.4 seconds left. Connecticut advanced the ball but turned it over as the final seconds fell off the clock, giving Minnesota the 78-76 win.
Notes:
- The Sun can clinch the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoffs with a win on Thursday against Chicago.
- If they fail to win Thursday, they can also clinch the No. 3 seed with a Las Vegas loss tonight to Seattle or Thursday to Dallas.
- If Las Vegas wins out and Connecticut falls to Chicago on Thursday, the Sun will be the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs.
- With four offensive rebounds in the game, Alyssa Thomas moved into first all-time in offensive rebounds in franchise history, passing Taj McWilliams-Franklin. She now has 652 offensive rebounds in her career.
- Tonight marked the 11th game this season that the Sun have committed 16+ turnovers. The team is 5-6 win doing so.
| Team | Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | PTS | REB | AST |
| CON | 76 | 22 | 15 | 16 | 23 | Thomas- 18 | Thomas/Jones- 8 | Thomas- 10 |
| MIN | 78 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 16 | Collier- 25 | McBride- 7 | Williams- 12 |
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the Chicago Sky for in last regular season game on Thursday, September 19 at 7:00 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.