Alyssa Thomas records fourth postseason triple-double of her career.
Uncasville, CT (September 22, 2024)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (28-12, 1-0) defeated the Indiana Fever (20-20, 0-1) in Game 1 of the First Round of the WNBA Playoffs, 93-69, at home in Uncasville. With the win, the Sun move to 4-1 against the Fever in 2024 and one win away from the WNBA Semifinals. Connecticut put up their seventh highest point production in postseason history with 93 points on the day.
Marina Mabrey led the Sun in scoring in the win with a postseason career-high 27 points, three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Her 27 points mark a new WNBA postseason record for most points by a single player coming off the bench. She also scored 20 of her 27 points in the second half of action.
Alyssa Thomas tallied her fourth postseason triple-double and 15th of her career (11 regular season). She finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. The triple-double also marks her second triple-double of the season against the Indiana Fever, previously notching one in the Sun’s season opener on May 14. No other player has tallied more than one postseason triple double (Sheryl Swoopes, Courtney Vandersloot).
DeWanna Bonner also had an efficient night for the Sun, tallying 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Today marked Bonner’s 81st WNBA postseason game, which ties Rebecca Brunson for second all-time in league history. The Fever entered today’s game with just 19 games of playoff experience as a team combined.
The Sun took a 23-20 lead over the Fever after a fast-paced first quarter. DeWanna Bonner notched 10 of her 22 points in the first, while Alyssa Thomas tallied six points, five rebounds and four assists through ten minutes of play. After trailing Indiana 36-34 with 3:45 to play in the first half, Connecticut closed the quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 46-38 win into the locker room.
A 6-5 start by the Sun out of the locker room pushed their lead up nine, 52-43, with 7:07 to play in the third. Connecticut enjoyed a lead as large as 15 in the quarter, but Indiana was able to close the gap to 11, 68-57, heading into the fourth. The Sun began the final quarter on a 13-3 run to extend their lead to 21, 81-60, with 5:43 to play in the game. Connecticut outscored Indiana, 25-12, in the final frame to seal the 93-69 win.
The Sun shot 49.3% (36-73) while the Fever went 40.3% (67) from the field on the day. Connecticut found more success from beyond the arc, going 50% (9-18), while Indiana was 21.4% (6/28).
Indiana was paced by Kelsey Mitchell who notched 21 points, three rebounds and five assists in her WNBA postseason debut. Aliyah Boston added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Notes:
- DiJonai Carrington tied her postseason career-high with 14 points, along with five rebounds, three assists and one block.
- The Sun outscored the Fever in the paint (50-36), in second chance points (9-7), on the fast break (18-9) and from the bench (41-15).
- The Sun’s 41 bench points mark the most the team has had all season.
- Alyssa Thomas moved into sixth all-time in assists in WNBA postseason history, passing Candace Parker. She now has 260 assists in her playoff career.
- DeWanna Bonner moved into third all-time in field goals made in WNBA postseason history, passing Maya Moore. She now has 383 made field goals in her playoff career.
| Team | Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | PTS | REB | AST |
| CON | 93 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 25 | Mabrey- 27 | Thomas- 10 | Thomas- 13 |
| IND | 69 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 12 | Mitchell- 21 | Boston- 11 | Clark- 8 |
NEXT GAME: The No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun host the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever in Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs on Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.