Sun beat Phoenix for 12th straight win and clinches No. 1 seed in playoffs

Jasmine Thomas had a game-high 17 points in Saturday night’s win over Phoenix to clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. (Photo courtesy Connecticut Sun)

While you were watching the UConn football team get flattened for the third week in a row or the Patriots, Giants and Jets drop their season opening games on Sunday, the Connecticut Sun continue their preparations for another run at their first WNBA championship.

Connecticut concluded a three-game road trip on Saturday night in Phoenix with a 76-67 win over the Mercury to clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. The Sun have now won 12 straight games and they beat a Mercury team that had won their last 10 games.

It was just the second time in WNBA history that two teams with winning streaks of 10 games or more had met.

The victory secured a double-bye for Connecticut (24-6) into the best-of-5 WNBA semifinals that begin Sept. 28 and run through Oct. 8. The WNBA finals are set for Oct. 10-19.

Connecticut played three games in five days and came away with victories over the Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks and the Mercury (19-11).

“In all three games on the road, we were able to keep (our opponents) under 70 (points), the first two games under 60 (points),” Sun coach Curt Miller said. He was thrilled that the Sun gave up just 24 points in the second half to the Mercury, the team with the best field goal percentage in the league.

”Credit our stick-to-it ness, our desire and our tenacity,” Miller said. “We just stayed with the defense.”

After Phoenix cut the lead to five points with 4:41 remaining, they scored just six points the rest of the game.

“That’s has been our identity all season — being really tough (defense) and playing hard for 40 minutes,” Connecticut’s MVP candidate Jonquel Jones said.

After Phoenix’ Brittany Griner cut the lead to five with a 10-foot turnaround jumper, it was Jones with the block that prevented the Mercury from cutting into the lead on their next possession. Briann January hit a pair of foul shots with 3:42 remaining and then Jones scored on a driving layup off an assist from Dewanna Bonner with 2:28 left to push the lead back to nine.

Griner, who had a game-high 25 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, scored twice in 30 seconds on a reverse layup and a 13-foot turnaround jumper after she had swiped the ball from the Sun.

That cut the lead to five points but Jasmine Thomas drained up a pull up jumper with 35.8 seconds left to extend the lead to seven, 72-65. Thomas led the Sun with 17 points, including hitting three of four shots from three-point range.

“It’s always good to win close games down the stretch because we haven’t had one in a while,” she said.

Only one of Connecticut’s last 12 wins was decided by four points or less – a 76-72 win over the Sparks on August 26.

Jonquel Jones had 12 points and 16 rebounds while Bonner chipped in with 16 points. Brionna Jones added 10 points and pulled down six rebounds.

“It just feels we are clicking at the right time,” Jonquel Jones said. “We are peaking at the right time. The temp0 we are playing at is really good. Our defense is locked in in every night and everyone is contributing. (Tonight) everyone was stepping up so I was able to be a rebounder and a defender. That is what it takes to be a championship team.”

Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi didn’t play due to an injured left ankle but Mercury coach Sandy Brondello hopes that her team will get another chance to play the Sun in the playoffs.

“This is the best in the league who have been very dominant,” Brondello said. “Hopefully, we get another chance to see them in the playoffs with Diana. Her leadership, her passing ability and her vision would have helped.”

Connecticut closes out the regular season with a pair of home games at the Mohegan Sun Arena in the coming week. The Sun host New York on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. (NESN, CBS Sports Network) and hosts Atlanta on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Liberty (11-19) are battling Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot. But New York has won just once in their last 10 games. Atlanta is 7-22.

NOTES: The Sun have won 12 straight regular season games. Connecticut lost the Commissioner’s Cup final to Seattle, 79-57, on August 12. … Sixteen times, the Sun have held the opposition under 70 points this season. … The last time two WNBA teams with winning streaks of at least 10 games or more met was in 2016 when Los Angeles met Minnesota. … Briann January led the Sun with five assists and scored seven points. For the second consecutive game, Natisha Hiedeman led the bench in scoring with eight points, including sinking two of three shots from long range. … Connecticut can match their record for most regular season wins with victories in their final two games. The Sun were 26-8 in 2005 and 2006.

Saturday night’s boxscore