Womhoops Guru: WNBA Gamer: Connecticut Joins the Early WNBA Record-Setters As the Sun Rallies Over Los Angeles

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — With former Stanford star Chiney Ogwumike finding her place in the sun, make that the Connecticut Sun, the Sun are finding their place on a prominent ladder high in the WNBA standings.

In a year where records are dropping at team and league levels in just the opening week, the Sun are quickly becoming notorious in the eyes of the fan base here at the Mohegan Sun Arena, especially the energetic 5,571 who Thursday night watched Connecticut mount a fourth quarter 37-20 ambush to rally from a nine-point deficit over the previously unbeaten 2017 runners up Los Angeles Sparks,102-94.

Combined with Sunday’s 101-65 home and season-opening win over the Las Vegas Aces, the Sun are the first team in the now-22 year history of the pro women’s league to blast from the starting gate at 2-0 with 100 plus points scored in each game.

Not billed this way, but it was definitely “Sisters of the Rich night” here in casino-land in the nationally-televised game as Chiney’s older sister and also Stanford grad Nneka participated in their own family affair.

The elder Ogwumike scored 19 points, one less than Sparks teammate and former Baylor star Odyssey Sims, and two less than Los Angeles game leader Chelsea Gray out of Duke.

Former Rutgers star Essence Carson was also in double figures with 15 points.

Granted, former Tennessee great Candace Parker, was again missing due to a minor back injury that has caused her yet to play in the Sparks’ 2-1 start that saw a buzzer beating win over defending champion and arch rival the Minnesota Lynx in the season opener.

On Connecticut’s side, Chiney, the 2014 rookie of the year after being the overall No. 1 pick of the Sun, had a team-leading 18 points in what promises to be a banner season after missing all of 2015 and last summer with injuries.

In all six Connecticut players scored in double figures as former George Washington star, Jonquel Jones, the most improved WNBA player in her second pro season, had 17 points off the bench after arriving here from overseas over the weekend, Alyssa Thomas had 15 points and nine rebounds, former South Florida star Courtney Williams scored 14, Jasmine Thomas scored 13, and Shekinna Stricklen scored 11.

Former Penn State Alex Bentley had nine points in helping the Sun close out the win in a game in which former University of Connecticut great Morgan Tuck was sidelined.

The youthful Sun roster also sports Brionna Jones and 2018 first-rounder Lexi Brown, and former Rutgers star Betnijah Laney,the Wilmington, Del., native who missed last season in the league due to injury and signed as a free agent with the Sun.

Statistically noteworthy, particular also on the defensive end, the fourth quarter outburst fueled by the Connecticut “D” tied the highest scoring period in Sun history, a quarter in which Connecticut shot 72.2 percent making 13 of 18 attempts from the field.

Los Angeles was also missing sixth-player star Jantel Lavender, who is still overseas, and rookie Maria Vadeeva, the first rounder still trying to get her visa.

Overall, the Sun shot 62.5 percent for the game and just ahead on Saturday night the Indiana Fever are coming with an 0-4 start including a 93-84 loss at home Thursday night to Washington, which in its record reaching 3-0 after the road win got 26 points and 10 rebounds from Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne.

Former Temple star Candice Dupree scored 21 for the Fever and Tiffany Mitchell had 13.

The Sun obviously continues to please third-year coach Curt Miller.

“I’m proud of our team tonight,” he said afterwards. “Gutty fourth quarter. Certainly, I felt we could have gone away, down nine. … little stagnant at the end of the third quarter.

A team we haven’t beaten in a few years. … easily could have seen a team pack it in and say it wasn’t our night, but our defensive intensity picked up.”

It was Connecticut’s first win over the group from Tinseltown since June 26, 2015, a losing streak of 0-6.

“You saw a team playing their third game in five days,” Miller said of the Sparks, “and what this compacted schedule can do to people.”

The league is in a hurry-up mode for the summer due to the FIBA World Championships in the fall.

“”Shorthanded (L.A.) and we looked like the fresher team in the fourth quarter and put up 37 points,” Miller beamed.

“Really, a gutty, gutty, win. I’m proud of our players.”

Miller noted it was the first time in all those games in which the Sun had two days to prepare for Los Angeles, though the Sunday last game played for the Sun until Thursday was going to be “like a vacation,” compared to the packed slate coming up.

Los Angeles coach Brian Agler, who brought Miller into the league as an assistant several seasons ago, cited the Sparks’ lack of defense. “We were a step slow in everything we were doing.”

In the sister rivalry, the win for Chiney was her first in five attempts against Nneka.

Furthermore, should UConn Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma were to suddenly surprise people and say he’s moving on, the media locally and nationally won’t suddenly be without a loquacious personality in this state.

Just listen to Chiney, who recently signed a full-time deal as an analyst for ESPN and has quickly become a go-to quote.

“Feels a little awkward at first, but honestly, I like it because she knows how hard I worked to get back,” she said of playing against Nneka.

“She’s my role model. Everything she’s done WNBA MVP, WNBA Champion, WNBPA players association president — she sets the bar so high.

“And for me to have the opportunity to learn what she does and see what she does at such a high level, it’s so fun to compete.

“It’s weird, but it’s also everything because I know in a couple of years we’re going to look back and go, ‘Wow this was such a special time in our lives,’” the younger Ogwumike said.

“Each time is special and I’m just happy to say I ain’t got losses no more. I finally got a win. We wouldn’t even talk about it at home because everyone knows she’s beaten us every time but I’m glad to set the record straight we finally got a win.”

Discussing what happened to turn things around in the fourth quarter, she said, “Lock in and play defense and just trust in each other.

“This is a team where we know what it feels like to be done, we know what it is to have to fight and I’m proud of us for banding together and refusing to separate. That’s what’s special about us.

“For us to be able to take that punch in the face and say, ‘hey we can still do this,’ That’s Connecticut Sun basketball.”

She said there’s not been any recent awakening as the team came together last season after a ragged start 12 months ago.

“No, it’s always been the same, like we’ve always been these players that believe we can win, it’s just now we sort of have the tools.

“Now we sort of have the chemistry and we understand what each other likes to do. It’s just perfect to see things come together. We’re not perfect every possession, we still make mistakes, but man, we rally hard and our energy is contagious.”

Told the growth of the Sun might be a “trust the process” theme akin to the Philadelphia 76ers, Obwumike observed:

“We trust the process. You know we had the process before Philly did, yeah, it’s about the same time, we are like Philadelphia but guess what, we’re going to be alright.”

Just don’t use the word “tank.”

“We didn’t tank, we never tanked, but I think there’s a lot of similarities between them and us — just a group of young players to figure out how to compete.

“But I think we have more experience and are older, our young players are now three, four, five years into the league. So we have youth on our side especially in a year that’s going to be really grueling.

“I’m just excited because we’re going to tag team this whole season and I think that’s going to be the start that’s pushing us through.

“It’s a huge win for us. We all know a piece of their puzzle was missing but it’s huge for confidence just because this is the same LA team that beat Minnesota that was the defending champs.

“For us, it’s just to know if we put our minds to it, we can beat anybody in this league.

“That’s going to be our goal — to win every game and when it comes the playoffs, it gives us the confidence and experience to say, we belong here.

“For so long, people said, ‘Oh Connecticut, they’re good.’ We want people to understand our name.

“It’s funny. You look us up and the betting odds to win a championship. You look at Vegas and the betting odds maybe it’s an ESPN stat sheet but they have Phoenix, La, and Minnesota, and even New York and Washington.

“And I’m. ‘look ‘bro if you watch the WNBA you’d understand that we have high hopes of winning a WNBA championship, people just don’t know who we are.

“UConn women’s basketball dominates this state but we are the pro team, we are the best players here. I think just making a name for ourselves is everything.

“I just want people to understand the Connecticut Sun is a pro team and we’re here to compete for a championship.”

Gushing on Maggie

Former Penn state star and Bentley’s collegiate backcourt mate Maggie Lucas, the former Germantown Academy star out of Narberth in suburban Philadelphia, has made it back to the league as a free agent with the Atlanta Dream.

It’s an accomplishment that thrills Bentley.

“That’s my girl. I had no doubt in my mind she was going to make a roster. She’s just a great player. She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever known in the game.

“Really really excited to see her play, to see her drive and I’m really happy for her.”

A New Era Begins in New York

With James Dolan, the Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Networks head still trying to dump the WNBA charter franchise Liberty and having relegated them to the smaller Westchester arena in suburban White Plains, New York makes its home debut Friday night playing against the defending champion Minnesota Lynx with a 7:30 p.m. tiipoff.

The veteran franchise is now under incoming Women’s Basketball and Naismith Basketball dual Hall of Famer Katie Smith, a former aide to Bill Laimbeer, who is now the coach at the Vegas franchise that was moved out of San Antonio.

The arena is being downsized to some 2,000 seats, though reports say it could be upgraded to 4,000, if necessary.

How this all works out begins as well as your Guru taking his first public transportation challenge, especially postgame, heading down to the new home from here early this afternoon.

Stay tuned.

, and rookie Maria Vadeeva, the first roiunder still trying to get her visa.

Overall, the Sun shot 62.5 percent for the game and just ahead on Saturday night the Indiana Fever are coming with a 0-4 start including a 93-84 loss at home Thursday night to Washington, which in its record reaching 3-0 after the road win got 26 points and 10 rebounds from Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne.