Joyful day as Alyssa Thomas returns and Sun win record 13th straight game

Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones (35) drives to the basket against New York’s Reshandra Gray (1) in Wednesday’s WNBA Ones

UNCASVILLE, September 15, 2021 – The joy was overflowing for the Connecticut Sun Wednesday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

It started when guards Jasmine Thomas and Natisha Hiedeman announced their engagement. The Sun shrugged off a sluggish first half, erased an 11-point deficit and beat the New York Liberty, 98-69 for a franchise-record 13^th consecutive win.

And Alyssa Thomas, the heart of this team, returned to the court for the first time this season just nine months after tearing her Achilles tendon last January.

The gang’s all here – finally.

It was February 2020 when the Sun acquired DeWanna Bonner from the Phoenix Mercury for three first round draft picks to pair her up with Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones in a run for the league championship. But Jones sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and then Thomas got hurt last January playing in Europe.

“This is what we envisioned when we made the trade,” Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller said of putting Alyssa Thomas, Bonner and Jones on the floor together. “We’ve waited a long, long time for this moment and I am excited. It will certainly be a work in progress but I am excited to have (Alyssa available) for our playoff run.”

In a statement released by the team earlier in the day, Thomas said, “I’ve always had it in the back of mind that I would be back this season. That’s just me. That’s who I am – the type of person who always finds a way to comeback.”

Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington drives to the basket for two of her career-high 14 points Wednesday night against New York. The Liberty’s Michaela Onyenwere (12) and Sami Whitcomb (32) try to slow her down.

Alyssa Thomas’ return is an enormous boost for the Sun, who have already secured a bye into the best-of-5 WNBA semifinals and captured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. With Wednesday night’s win before 4,012 fans, the Sun improve to 25-6 on the year and 14-1 at home.

“That is a kid who plays her guts out every single minute she is on the court,” Miller said. “She is respected and revered because of that (by the fans in Connecticut). You saw how emotional her teammates were. It is good to have her back.”

Thomas had six points, pulled down three rebounds and had an assist in 16 minutes of work.

Bonner and Jonquel Jones led the Sun with 18 points each while Brionna Jones scored 13. Hiedeman scored 11 points while DiJonia Carrington had a career-high 14 points against a Liberty squad (11-20) that lost their eighth straight game – the longest current losing streak in the league.

Bonner had 11 points in the pivotal third quarter as the Sun turned a five-point deficit into a 15-point lead in the matter of six minutes.

Connecticut trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and were down by three at halftime.

Miller said he challenged his players at halftime. “I was stern in there, (saying) that we had more in us,” he said. “We had to show our competitive spirit. (New York) played harder and they played tougher (in the first half).”

New York led by two with 6:58 remaining but didn’t a point for over four minutes as the Sun blasted the Liberty with a 17-0 run to seize control of the contest. Briann January drained a three, Jonquel Jones hit a 20-foot jumper while Bonner hit one from 15 feet away. Brionna Jones sank an 18-foot shot before Bonner and Jasmine Thomas each dropped three-point shots. Jonquel Jones hit two free throws to cap off the run.

The Liberty sank a pair of free throws but Bonner, Jasmine Thomas and Jonquel Jones added baskets for a 23-2 surge from the Sun. Natasha Howard led New York with a game-high 25 points while Michaela Onyenwee added 14 points.

New York’s Betnijiah Laney feels the heat from the Sun’s Jonquel Jones in Wednesday night’s loss to Connecticut.

“In the third quarter, we really responded, led by (Bonner),” Miller said. “She got it started. (I am) proud how we locked in (defensively). It is the second game in a row, we held our opponent to 24 points in the second half. Our defense really came through once again. We did it on the board, which allowed us to pull away.”

Connecticut sank 13-of-17 shots in the third quarter (76.5 percent) while the Liberty made just 2-of-12 field goals and were outrebounded 10-1 .

The Sun had six players score in double figures with a new season-high with 98 points.

NOTES: The Sun snapped their previous franchise winning streak since in 2006. It is the longest win streak in the WNBA since 2016. … In the first half, there were seven lead changes and the game was tied three times. … Bonner scored 11 of her 18 points in the third quarter while Jonquel Jones scored 10 of her 18 points in the same period. … The Sun close out the regular season against Atlanta on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena. … The semifinals begin Sept. 28 and run through October 8. The WNBA finals are set for Oct. 10-19.

Wednesday’s boxscore: Connecticut 98, New York 69