Minneapolis, MN: The No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun (28-12, 1-0) are back for Game 2 of the WNBA Semifinals against the No. 2 seed Minnesota Lynx (30-10, 0-1) on Tuesday, October 1 at 9:30 PM ET/8:30 PM CT at the Target Center. The Sun won Game 1 of the best-of-five series, 73-70, and the 2024 regular season series with the Lynx, 2-1. The game will air on ESPN2 and stream live on the ESPN app.
Storylines:
Last Time Out:
The Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals on Sunday night, 73-70, on the road in Minneapolis. Marina Mabrey led Connecticut with 20 points, behind a postseason career-high six three-point field goals. She became one of four players in Sun franchise history to hit six three-pointers in a postseason contest (Courtney Williams, Jasmine Thomas and DeWanna Bonner). Alyssa Thomas stuffed the stat sheet for the Sun in the win, finishing one assist shy of a triple-double. She tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in the game, playing all but one minute and 30 seconds of the contest. DiJonai Carrington notched 13 points, a postseason career-high nine rebounds and four assists, while DeWanna Bonner tallied the 17th postseason double-double of her career with 10 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, five assists and one block on the night. She also moved into sole possession of first all-time in postseason games played in WNBA history, playing in her 83rd playoff contest on Sunday.
Defensive Honors:
On September 29, DiJonai Carrington was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team, while Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team. It marked the first time Carrington has received WNBA All-Defensive honors. Thomas picks up her fourth WNBA All-Defensive Second Team nod (2017, 2019, 2022), while also being named to the First Team twice in her 11-year WNBA career (2020, 2023).
Postseason Stat Leaders:
Out of the four remaining teams in the playoff race, the Sun as a team leads the WNBA this postseason in rebounds per game (34.7), assists per game (25.3), field goals made per game (32.3), offensive rebounds per game (8.7) and three-point percentage (39.0%). The Sun’s defense is also holding playoff opponents to a league low 73.3 points per game. Alyssa Thomas is currently leading the league in assists per game during the postseason at 11.7 assists per contests. Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are also tied for fifth in rebounds per game across the league during playoff competition at 8.3 rebounds per game each.
Opponent History:
Connecticut is 32-27 all-time against Minnesota during the regular season and 3-1 record during postseason play. The two teams first and only playoff matchup prior to 2024 came a season ago when the Sun defeated the Lynx, 2-1, in the First Round of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. Head Coach Cheryl Reeve is in her 15th season with Minnesota and is currently first all-time in WNBA history in postseason wins with a 44-24 all-time playoff record.