Alyssa Thomas missed on her sixth triple-double of the year, tallying 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists, but her effort was more than enough to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 79-73 road win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
Natasha Hiedeman shot 5-of-7 from the floor and scored 13 points while DeWanna Bonner (13) and Tiffany Hayes (12) also hit double figures as the Sun (22-10) snapped a three-game losing streak and won their fifth consecutive game against the Sky dating back to last season.
The late-season struggles continued for the Sky (12-20) despite 15 points from Kaleah Copper, who couldn’t help Chicago avoid its fifth consecutive loss. Elizabeth Williams chipped in 14 while Marina Mabrey and Courtney Wllliams scored 11 apiece.
Mabrey’s 3-pointer less than a minute in marked the beginning of a fast-paced opening quarter that saw the Sky and Sun both connect early and often. The two teams were tied at 9-9, 11-11 and 13-13.
Connecticut soon led 21-13 thanks to an 8-0 run but Chicago responded with an 8-0 run of its own. A jumper by Dijonai Carrington with 19.3 to play gave the Sun a 25-23 lead after one.
A 9-2 spurt fueled in part by a 3-pointer from Dana Evans put the Sky ahead 36-31 with under four minutes to play in the half.
But the Sun hung around and were within two at 38-36 with 2:46 to go after a shot from beyond the arc from Bonner.
Bonner tied the game at 40-40 a little over a minute later, hitting one of two free throws, and Rebecca Allen’s 3-pointer nudged the Sun ahead 43-40 with 30.2 left in a half that featured eight ties and three lead changes.
Two free throws by Thomas with 2.6 seconds remaining sent the Sun into the locker room with a 45-40 lead.
Connecticut took its first double-digit lead to close out the third quarter as Rebecca Allen made two free throws for a 66-56 advantage.
–Field Level Media