Connecticut rallies to beat pesky Chicago in final minute

Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey tries to get past Chicago rookie Angel Reese during Friday night’s WNBA game in Uncasville. Mabrey had a game-high 24 points to help the Sun prevail.

UNCASVILLE, Conn., August 23, 2024 – The good teams find a way to win even when they struggle on the floor.

Outrebounded and limited to just 36.8 percent shooting from the floor, the Connecticut Sun sank five free throws in the final 1:01 including a pair from Alyssa Thomas with 4.1 seconds remaining to lift the Sun to an 80-78 win over the Chicago Sky before a sellout crowd of 8,910 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Sun (21-7) missed 10 free throws in the game but hit five of six in the final minute to secure the win.

Marina Mabrey, playing her first game against her old Chicago teammates, was a blessing for the Sun with 24 points off the bench, including 5-of-7 from three-point range.

The Sun sent Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson to Chicago on July 17 to acquire Mabrey in an attempt to gather some more consistent shooting from long distance. It paid off on Friday night.

DeWanna Bonner, who came up with some huge rebounds in the final minute, had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Sun while Thomas had 12 points, a game-high 11 assists and four steals.

“It takes all of us and it will continue to take all of us (to win),” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “We are still in the evolution of finding ourselves offensively. I like what we did. We just need to make some shots.”

Bonner was 3-of-16 from the floor, including 0-for-8 from three-point range. DiJonai Carrington was 2-of-12 from the floor, missing on several shots from point-blank range that rolled off the rim.

“I felt we got a lot of good looks tonight that didn’t fall for us, shots that we need to keep taking,” White said.

Chicago played with some grit and fire. The Sun held Sky rookie Angel Reese scoreless in the first half but Reese finished with 13 points and a game-high 20 rebounds. Chennedy Carter consistently found space driving to the basket and scored a team-high 19 points with rookie center Kamila Cardoso scoring a career-high18 points.

The Sky outrebounded the Sun, 42-30 and sank 19-of-22 free throws but still came up short.

“You have to give Chicago credit,” White said. “They keep coming after you. They are a team that has gotten better every single game. They put a lot of pressure on you.

“They did a great job of keeping us uncomfortable with their physicality and making things really difficult,” she said. “I am glad we found a way to win. We made big plays at both ends down the stretch.”

White breathed a sigh of relief at the podium before sharing her thoughts with the media.

The Sun travel to New York on Saturday for just their second back-to-back of the season. They face the Liberty at 7 p.m. in Brooklyn.

Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas defends against Chicago rookie Angel Reese Friday night in Uncasville.

Connecticut led by as many as 10 points but the Sky led by one after three quarters, 64-63. Chicago opened the fourth quarter with a quick 6-1 spurt to take a seven-point lead, 70-64.

The Sky led by eight with 5:46 remaining but Mabrey hit a three-point shot from 25 feet away off a nice dish from Tyasha Harris to cut the lead to three, 74-71. Thomas stole the ball from Allen and drove to the basket with 5:12 remaining to cut the lead to one, 74-73.

Chicago led by three with 1:52 left after Reese sank a pair of free throws, 80-77.

Bonner missed her next shot for the Sun and the Sky controlled the rebound. But at the other end of the floor, Bonner came up with a key rebound after Carter missed a shot in the lane with 1:18 remaining. Harris hit two free throws with 1:01 left to cut the lead to one, 80-79.

Bonner drove to the basket with 36.1 seconds left and was fouled. She sank 1-of-2 to tie the game at 80.

Allen missed a jumper from the top of the key with 15 seconds remaining that hit the back of the rim and Bonner grabbed the key rebound.

Thomas was fouled with 4.1 seconds left and sank both free throws for a 82-80 lead. The Sun played good defense and didn’t allow a shot in the final seconds to secure the win.

“This league is a grind. Every single win is important and finding a way to win was good for us,” White said.

The Sun remain the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs.

Other notable highlights

• With three field goals, Bonner moved into 10th all-time in field goals made in WNBA history, tying Cappie Pondexter.
• With eight rebounds, Bonner eclipsed 3,000 rebounds in her WNBA career. She is just one of 10 players in WNBA history to achieve that feat.
• Tonight marked Brionna Jones’ eighth straight game finishing in double-digit scoring, tying her third longest streak of her WNBA career.
• Tonight’s game marked the Sun’s seventh sellout of the 2024 season with an 8,910-attendance mark at Mohegan Sun Arena.
• Connecticut tallied a season-high six blocks on the night.

Connecticut 82, Chicago 80
At Uncasville, Conn.
Chicago (80) Onyenwere 2-4 1-2 5, Reese 3-12 7-8 13, Cardoso 8-11 2-3 18, Carter 7-18 5-5 19, Allen 5-9 4-4 14, Evans 1-2 0-0 2, Harrison 0-0 0-0 0, DeShields 0-2 0-0 0, Banham 3-6 0-0 9, Jefferson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-65 19-22 80
Connecticut (82) Bonner 3-16 9-11 15, Thomas 5-7 2-3 12, Jones 3-9 6-8 12, Carrington 2-12 3-4 7, Harris 1-7 3-4 6, Mabrey 9-13 1-2 24, Nelson-Ododa 2-2 0-2 4, Burton 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 25-68 26-36 82
Chicago (11-17)           17  18  29  16  — 80
Connecticut (21-7)     17  28  18  19  — 82
Three-point goals: Chicago 3-9 (Carter 0-1, Allen 0-1, Evans 0-1, DeShields 0-1, Banham 3-5); Connecticut 6-25 (Bonner 0-8, Thomas 0-1, Jones 0-1, Carrington 0-3, Harris 1-4, Mabrey 5-7, Burton 0-1). Att. – 8,910 (sellout)