Guru’s WNBA Report: Connecticut Edges Chicago and Moves into Eighth

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

After plunging right off the cliff at the outset of the shortened and revamped WNBA season due to the Covid-19 virus, the Connecticut Sun took another step Friday night of getting back in the game with a key 77-74 victory over the Chicago Sky at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg.

 

The other two games on the nightly three-game card went as their records suggested in advance of the both tipoffs, the front running Seattle Storm slammed past the Dallas Wings 83-65 while the Phoenix Mercury easily handled the Atlanta Dream 96-80.

 

The Sun (4-6) last season got the second of the two semifinal guarantees and went on to extend the eventual champion Washington Mystics into the fourth quarter of the decisive Game 6 before the home team took control the rest of the way in the nation’s capital.

 

That’s not a path Connecticut is likely to find this time around to get back to the championship round. 

But after losing their first five, the Sun have gotten on better footing gaining for the moment sole possession of eighth place and the final playoff spot of the postseason began immediately.

 

But that won’t happen and considering the next game is Seattle on Sunday, the rung may temporarily slip away before Tuesday’s matchup with the Indiana Fever.

 

Nevertheless, coach Curt Miller’s team has fought back to get into the playoff mix, winning four of five and three straight and has enough winnable games left on the 22-game schedule, of which they hit the halfway point Sunday, to land a spot to keep playing in late September.

 

The win also gave Connecticut a 1-1 series split with the Sky (6-4) and the Sun now trails fourth place Chicago and Phoenix by two games and Indiana by just one.

 

In Friday’s game,  which went down to the final moments, Connecticut had four starters score in double figures for the second time this season.

 

DeWanna Bonner, the key offseason signee after her long stint with Phoenix, had her eighth double figure scoring game with 19 points, including her 5,000^th career point to become the 13^th WNBA player  with 5,000 points and 2,000 rebounds.

 

Ironically, that came one night after her spouse, former Temple All-American Candice Dupree of the Indiana Fever, became the fourth to have 6,000 points and 3,000 rebounds.

 

Bonner, a former Auburn All-American, also had nine rebounds.

 

Former Maryland star Alyssa Thomas had 15 points and 10 rebounds for her 26^th career double double while dealing eight assists, 

 

Former Duke star Jasmine Thomas added 15 points, shooting 3-of-6 three pointers and 6-of-17 overall from the field. Joining the group of notables on the squad with milestones, she became the 19^th player  3000 points and 1000 assists.

 

Brionna Jones got her seventh game in double digit scoring, posting 15 points to go with nine rebounds and two assists.

 

Bria Homes provided bench support with nine points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field.

 

Chicago’s Cheyenne Parker had 17 points and six rebounds while Courtney Vandersloot scored 14 and dealt seven assists, and former Rutgers star Kahleah Parker, a native of Philadelphia, scored 12 points and six assists.

 

Azura Stevens, who had left Connecticut ahead of her senior season a year ago, was a defensive force for the Sky with eight boards while blocking three shots.

 

Connecticut’s Sunday game with Seattle will air at 3 p.m. on ABC-TV, locally Channel 6.

 

Speaking of Seattle, in the Storm’s win over Dallas (3-7), former UConn star Breanna Stewart continued to show no affects from her sidelining injury of last summer, scoring 21 points and grabbing six rebounds while Alysha Clark scored 15m and Jewel Loyd scored 12.

 

Former UConn star Sue Bird, back in action as the oldest player in the league nearing 40, scored seven points and dealt five assists in just over 20 minutes.

 

On the Dallas side, former Princeton star Bella Alarie, the Ivy League player of the year who went high in the first round last April to the Wings, had her first start as did rookie Tayasha Harris, a pick off Dawn Staley’s South Carolina squad, made their first starts, with Alarie playing just under 17 minutes and scoring two foul shots, but shooting 0-6 from the field while grabbing four rebounds.

 

Playing nearly the same number of minutes, Harris was 0-for-4 from the field, making them the first starting rookie tandem in almost seven seasons dating to Sept. 14, 2013.

 

Second-year pro and former Notre Dame star Arike Ogunbowale, however, scored 22 points, while former Irish star Marina Mabrey, scored 13 points off the bench, a total matched by starter Allisha Gray.

 

“Everything needs work,” said Dallas coach Brian Agler, though he added, “I thought we competed well and we had some people who were waiting for opportunities and took advantage like Marina Marbrey.

 

In the other game of the night, four players scored in double figures for Phoenix (6-4) with reserve Bria Hartley leading the pack with 24 points while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scoring 20, former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins-Smith scoring 17, and former Baylor star Brittney Griner scoring 14 and blocking four shots.

 

Atlanta (2-8), which lost Angel McCoughtry to Las Vegas through free agency, got 16 points from former Rutgers star Benijah Laney scoring 16 points, Courtney Williams with 12 points and 14 rebounds, former Princeton star Blake Dietrick with 11, reserve Monique Billings with 12 and Elizabeth Williams with 10.

 

Looking Ahead

 

On Saturday’s tripleheader, all three are cross-conference matchups as Las Vegas meets Washington at noon, a noon meeting on ESPN before Indiana and Los Angeles play at 2, also on ESPN, and wrapping it up at 6, New York and Minnesota hook up on the CBS Sports Network.

 

On Sunday, along with the Connecticut- Seattle tilt, Dallas and Phoenix first play at 1 on ABC, and Chicago meets Atlanta at 4 p.m. in what could be described as a must win for both teams.

 

Monday is back to an off day, but completing through last Monday’s games, a stretch of a 13 straight days. 

 

And that’s the report.