Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (25) and the Sun clinched a WNBA playoff berth with Sunday’s win over Chicago.
Step one has been accomplished. Secure a berth in the WNBA playoffs. Now, the Sun can use the final eight games of the regular season to prepare for a challenging matchup in the playoffs.
The Sun clinched a playoff berth for the seventh straight season and a snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday with a 79-73 victory over the struggling Chicago Sky, who lost their fifth straight game.
Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 22 points, five rebounds and a game-high eight assists with DeWanna Bonner and Natisha Hiedeman each scoring 13 points. Rebecca Allen scored seven points but made things happen at the defensive end of the floor with two steals and four blocked shots along with four assists and nine rebounds.
Kahleah Copper led the Sky (12-20) with 15 points and three rebounds with former Sun favorite Courtney Williams adding 11 points.
Connecticut (22-10) hadn’t dropped three games in a row since the 2021 season when they dropped a 20-point decision to Dallas on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena, 95-75. Bonner had 25 points and Thomas had 15 points but it wasn’t enough as the Wings beat Connecticut for the second time in less than a week.
Before facing Dallas, Phoenix raced out to a huge 21-point lead and held off the Sun to start the losing streak on August 10. Dallas beat the Sun, 91-81 on Tuesday night in Dallas.
“During this stretch we’ve played reams that are really hard for us to match up with because of our lineup so we also have to keep that into perspective,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said. “You almost have to play perfect basketball when you are defending all five positions (Dallas) and are giving up 6-to-7 inches in a couple of different positions.
“Phoenix has two Olympians and shot the crap out of the ball and (All-Star) Britney Griner is a tough assignment for (Bonner),” White said. “Dallas has five players on the floor that you have to guard at all times. We have to maintain our perspective and understand we hit a bit of a wall. We have to find our way. The goal is to best these teams in a series in the playoffs.”
“We can’t hit the panic button. We just have to be able to stay together and stay connected,” White said. “We have to be able to find ways. In those moments you can’t lose the hustle plays. You can’t lose the 50 50 balls. You can’t lose the effort.”
Thomas had 13 of her 22 points in the first half as the Sun led by five at halftime, 45-40. The Sun had a 16-4 edge in fast break points.
Connecticut boosted their lead to nine points, 51-42 midway through the third quarter and led by 10 after three quarters. Hiedeman had six of her 13 points in the third quarter.
The Sun took a 74-61 lead with 4:21 remaining before Chicago cut the lead to eight with 2:58 remaining, 74-66. But the Sun put this one away with a 5-0 surge to secure the victory.
The Sun return to action on Tuesday night when they face Washington on the road at 7 p.m. on NBC Boston.
Seven straight playoff berths is the longest run of playoff success in team history. The Sun earned six straight playoff berths when they came to Connecticut from Orlando in 2003.
With 22 points in the game, Thomas also passed Asjha Jones for second all-time in scoring in Connecticut Sun history (3,343).
On Friday night, Arike Ogunbowale scored 30 points with seven 3-pointers, Teaira McCowan had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Ogunbowale made six of her first seven 3-point attempts and finished 7 of 9 to tie a career-high for three-point shots.
Connecticut 79, Chicago 73
At Chicago
Connecticut (79) Bonner 4-10 4-5 13, Thomas 8-13 6-7 22, Hayes 3-8 4-6 12, Allen 2-9 2-2 7, Hiedeman 5-7 1-1 13, Nelson Ododa 1-2 0-0 2, Harris 1-3 0-0 3, Carrington 3-5 1-2 7, Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-57 18-23
Chicago (73) Smith 3-9 2-4 9. E Williams 6-10 2-3 14, Courtney Williams 4-8 3-3 11, Copper 5-15 5-7 15, Mabrey 5-10 0-0 11, Parks 1-5 2-2 4, Hebard 0-0 0-0 0, Evans 2-6 4-6 9. Totals 26-63
Connecticut (22-10) 25 20 21 13 — 79
Chicago (12-20) 23 17 16 17 — 73
Three-point goals: Connecticut 7-21 (Bonner 1-4, Hayes 2-6, Allen 1-5, Hiedeman 2-3, Harris 1-2, Carrington 0-1); Chicago 3-21 (Smith 1-5, CWilliams 0-2, Copper 0-6, Mabrey 1-3, Parks 0-2, Evans 1-3)
Dallas 95, Connecticut 75
At Uncasville
Dallas (95) Sabally 3-11 0-0 7, Howard 6-13 1-3 13, McCowan 4-10 6-10 14, Ogunbowale 11-20 1-2 30, Danderfield 6-11 0-1 12, Kuler 0-3 0-0 0, Brown 4-4 6-6 14, Simes 0-0 0-0 0, Siegrist 2-2 1-1 5. Burton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-74 15-23 95
Connecticut (75) Allen 1-5 0-0 2, Bonner 6-18 12-13 25, Thomas 7-17 1-4 15, Hayes 4-12 5-6 13, Hiedeman 4-12 5-6 13, Nelson Ododa 1- 0-0 2, Carrington 3-3 0-0 6, Harris 2-5 0-0 6, Brown 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-71, 18-23 75
Dallas (16-14) 18 28 20 29 — 95
Connecticut (21-10) 21 19 23 12 — 75
Three-point goals: Dallas 8-19 (Ogunbowale 7-9, Sabally 1-5, Kuler 0-1, Howard 0-2, Dangerfield 0-2), Connecticut 3-14 (Harris 2-2, Bonner 1-6, Allen 0-1, Hiedeman 0-1, Hayes 0-4); Att: 6584
