Charles, Montgomery help Sun get back on winning track

Connecticut’s Renee Montgomery scored 12 points, including a pair of crucial fourth quarter 3-point shots to lift the Sun past Chicago Sunday.

UNCASVILLE, Conn., Sept. 9 – Two nights earlier, Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault said that Olympian Tina Charles had not gotten enough shots from the floor in an embarrassing loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

The Sun listened. Charles scored a game-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor to help spark Connecticut to a 82-77 victory over the Chicago Sky at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday. Charles had eight points in the decisive fourth quarter, including six consecutive points in a 9-2 Sun surge that erased an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Renee Montgomery hit a pair of crucial three-point goals in the fourth quarter to lift Connecticut (21-8). Montgomery had 12 points off the bench for the Sun while Tam White had 11 points and Kelsey Griffin scored 10.

“This was one of those ones we just had to keep scrambling, throwing crap against the wall and seeing what stuck to try to get a win,” Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “We went small lineup, we tried to do some different things to take away some of the advantages they had early in the game.”

The Sun spent time with four guards on the floor at once. “I thought their players played terrific but I thought down the stretch defensively we did a terrific job especially playing small,” Thibault said. “It’s not something we get a chance to practice every day. We actually did it by mistake during the Olympic break because we didn’t have any posts here. We’re making up plays on the run with Danielle (McCray) as the power forward because she’s not used to doing that. I thought she did a terrific job not only helping us to spread the court but doing a good job on Swin Cash down the stretch.

For Chicago (11-17), former UConn star Swin Cash led the Sky with 21 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Chicago began the game one game behind the New York Liberty for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

For the second straight game, the Sun were outrebounded, 35-26 but they were able to erase a 14-point second half deficit to win for the sixth time in the last nine games. Guard Kara Lawson had six points and tied a career-high with nine assists.

“This was kind of like a playoff-type atmosphere just because Chicago is playing for an opportunity to play in the postseason,” Lawson said. “We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy and be very physical. For us to be down at halftime and to find a way to be able to execute on both ends of the floor in the second half, it was a very good win for us.”

AROUND THE RIM: Charles scored 20 or more points for the 13th time this season. Sixteen of her 24 points came in the second half as Connecticut erased a seven-point deficit, 44-37. … White tied a season with 11 points and 3 three-point shots.