Guru’s WNBA Report - Part 1: Connecticut Rebounding and Alyssa Thomas Carry Sun Over Chicago in Playoff Opener

(Guru note: Rob Knox has the Washington game.)

 

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Riding Alyssa Thomas, their engine, as they like to say, the seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun drove from a 41-41 halftime tie to a dominating 27-11 third-quarter and on to a 94-81 victory over the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky in the first game of Tuesday’s opening night in the WNBA playoffs at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa, St. Petersburg.

 

Connecticut moves on to Thursday’s second-around against the third Los Angeles Sparks at 9 p.m., made possible when Temple grad Shey Peddie of the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury made a three-point winner at the buzzer in the second game to eliminate the defending champion Washington Mystics, the eighth and final seed who qualified Sunday in the final game of the regular season.

 

Phoenix will meet the fourth-seeded Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m.

 

Those winners move on to the opening game Sunday in the best-of-five semifinals with the lowest seed winner Thursday meeting the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces while the other winner will play the second-seeded Seattle Storm.

 

Thomas, a former Maryland standout, finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, including a playoff record 10 on the offensive glass which also got strong control from another former Terrapin in Brionna Jones, who had 6 of 8 of her eight boards grabbed on the offensive boards.

 

“You saw Playoff AT tonight,” said Connecticut coach Curt Miller. “Tremendous intensity. I got her 25 seconds of rest tonight.

 

“A dominating night on the glass. That was effort.”

The overall rebounding advantage was 40-21.

 

DeWanna Bonner, acquired through free agency in the off season after starring for years with Phoenix, had 23 points and 12 rebounds, while yet another former Marylander in rookie Kaila Charles scored 13.

 

Bonner was also 13-for-13 from the line, where the Sun went 29 times and connected 24 attempts.

 

“I just think that’s just been our thing all season,” Bonner said of the rebounding. “That’s been an emphasis, rebound the ball. If we see it go up, go get it.”

 

Briann January, who also came from Phoenix in the offseason, scored seven and dealt five assists.

 

“This team is built for championships, this is who we are,” said Miller ticking off a list of players who have won or played in championship games in the WNBA or in college. “That’s why we’re going to be a tough out.”

 

Duke grad Jasmine Thomas played but is struggling with a foot condition.

 

“You could see it,” Miller said, adding he’ll likely rest her till Thursday’s tipoff.

 

“I just remember last season when we were a few plays from winning the championship,” Thomas said afterwards. “We lost a couple of key pieces. So I just did what I do … “

 

A year ago, the Sun became the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and went all the way to the fourth quarter of the decisive Game 5 of the finals before yielding to the Washington Mystics.

 

This time around, after the WNBA finally was able to conduct a coronavirus-shortened 22-game regular season, placing the entire league in the “wubble,” primarily playing every other day in what became a schedule of two-game series of each team playing the other eleven, Connecticut struggled out of the gate, losing the Sun’s first five games.

 

Jonquel Jones had opted out and Connecticut lost several other key players through free agency.

 

“Brian got here late because of the virus but we had veterans in the locker room,” Miller said.

 

Chicago, which was ousted by Las Vegas on a controversial game-winner in the second round a year ago, was snake bitten this season playing in the wubble, losing to Azura Stevens to an injury and Diamond DeShields for personal reasons.

 

The Sky made a run late in the game after trailing by as many as 18 points and getting the differential down to nine before the Sun shut the door.

 

Allie Quigley had 19 points while her wife Courtney Vandersloot, who finished the regular season with an exact 10.0 assist average, had 12 points but just six dishes due to Chicago’s inability to make shots.

 

Rutgers grad Kahleah Copper had 17 points and UConn grad Gabby Williams scored 16.

 

“Once we established ourselves inside, our shots were falling outside,” Thomas said of the way the game went.”