Connecticut’s Saniya Rivers (22) drives past Washington’s Stefanie Dolson (31) in Thursday night’s WNBA game in Uncasville. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Tina Charles scored 21 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 10 points as the Connecticut Sun won consecutive games for the first time this season with a 67-56 win over the Washington Mystics in front of 7.144 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday night.
It was the second game in three nights for the two teams with the Sun (8-27) winning both of them. The Sun have won three of their last four games. Washington slips to 16-20.
Rookie Leila Lacan, in her eighth straight start, had five of Connecticut’s season-high 15 steals. Charles moved ahead of Katie Smith (1,440) for eighth on the WNBA’s career list for made free throws.
The game marks the 16th time this season Charles has led the Sun in scoring with her 12th game scoring 20 or more points this season.
Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 15 points while her rookie counterpart Kiki Iriafen added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. It was her 13th double-double of the season for Iriafen.
Connecticut outscored Washington in the paint (38-28), on second chance opportunities (16-2), on the fast break (11-5) and from the bench (25-14). The Sun forced 20 Mystic turnovers, resulting in 20 points.
The Sun opened up a 14-point lead in the second quarter, 30-16, although Washington cut the lead to seven at halftime, 33-26.
Charles scored 12 of her 21 points in the third quarter as the Sun took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter, 56-45.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball. They combined to hit just five of 30 shots from three-point range and the Sun shot 40.3 percent from the floor in the win. The Mystics shot 37.3 percent from the floor.
The Sun head to Chicago to face the Sky on Saturday at 4 p.m. It will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Connecticut began the season with a franchise record nine-game losing streak and lost 13 of their first 14 games.
