By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Whatever pressure alleviated from finally winning a WNBA playoff game for the first time since 2012, beating the third-seeded Los Angeles Sparks 84-75 Tuesday night is replaced by more pressure as the Connecticut Sun head into Thursday night’s semifinal series second game at home at 6:30 p.m. EDT here on ESPN2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Sun, who spent most of that drought awaiting draft lottery placements until one-game knockouts by the Phoenix Mercury occurred here the previous two seasons, bolted to a 26-14 lead of 12 points early in the second quarter on the play of Maryland grad Alyssa Thomas, then fell to a 40-37 deficit at the half.
But all season in most games, Connecticut had powerful third quarters and then found ways to hold tight in the fourth, especially here where they went 15-2 to help finish second.
That earned the other double bye behind the Washington Mystics, who also won Tuesday edging the Las Vegas Aces 97-95 in their new Entertainment and Sports Arena in the Congress Heights section of the nation’s capital.
Those teams also play their Game at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night on ESPN2.
In the third quarter here on Tuesday, the Sun opened with a 9-0 spurt and after finishing the period ahead 59-58 moved somewhat into a comfort zone the final ten minutes answering Los Angeles threats on the way to a win.
One major statistic was the Sparks committing 17 turnovers to just nine by Connecticut.
Most people had picked the Sparks to take the series causing the slick Sun marketing folks to take up a DisrespeCT mantra jersey similar to the Underdogs approach the NFL Philadelphia Eagles harbored on the way to their first Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Thus, powerful as Los Angeles is with a roster containing former Tennessee super star Candace Parker, the Ogwumike sisters of Nneka and former Sun No. 1 pick Chiney, and Chelsea Gray, the opener was a game Connecticut, idle since the season ended 12 days ago, had to have considering the Sparks’ performance at home where Game 3 in the series is played Sunday followed by a Game 4 if necessary next Tuesday.
Los Angeles arrived here from home where after holding a first-round bye, the Sparks ousted the defending champion but injury riddled Seattle Storm 92-69 on Sunday.
If the Sun win Thursday night, they will have two chances out West to close out the Sparks and advance to the finals but also will be assured a potential decisive Game 5 to be played here next Thursday if they don’t win out West.
“With our core group being together for four years and coming up short in those second rounds, winning that first game is a boost in confidence and a measuring stick,” said Connecticut coach and general manager Curt Miller at Wednesday’s practice.
“And we get to go back into the film room and talk about what we didn’t do well and what we can get better at and what we did execute well, which we know is only going to be harder next time.
“But ultimately, and you hear this in a pro basketball series, you got to take home court and you got to really protect it because L.A. came here to split, it didn’t matter if it was (Game) 1 or (Game) 2.
“With 14 in a row at home in Los Angeles, they feel good about themselves if they can split. So Game 2 becomes even more magnified for both of us.”
In Tuesday’s game, Thomas shot 9-for-17 and collected 22 points besides grabbing 10 rebounds and had four steals while the Sparks’ Parker was 10-for-14 overall from the field, including 3-of-five three-balls for 24 points and blocked six shots besides grabbing 10 rebounds.
Of those two, Miller commented after the game, “For a long, long time, Candace Parker has been by far the best facilitating power forward in the league.
“The emergence of Alyssa over the last couple of years gives argument that she’s the new wave of power forward facilitators. We got the full display (tonight). I hope the fans realize what they’re witnessing.”
As for those fans, though not a sellout crowd, the place was pretty loaded and energized with an attendance figure of 7,102.
Behind Thomas, the Sun had a balanced attack with three others in double figures, Duke grad Jasmine Thomas with 19 points, including a trio of connected three-pointers; Courtney Williams, the South Florida grad with another timely performance on offense scoring 15 points and George Washington grad Jonquel Jones with 16.
Nneka Ogwumike was the only other Sparks player in double figures with 20 points.
Miller was pleased with the job Connecticut did defensing Gray, limiting her and Riquina Williams to four points each.
In assessing his team’s loss and anything new done by Connecticut, Derek Fisher, the former NBA player who is the Sparks’ first year coach, said at Wednesday’s practice, “Connecticut was who they have been all season.
“They played hard, they played with energy, and they played for each other. I don’t think that’s going to change tomorrow night.
“A lot of times in these situations, it’s not so much about trying to adjust what the opponent might do, but being really strong and resolute in who you are and be better in a lot of areas you can control.”
Limiting turnovers of the unforced variety would be one thing that could be on the list of reductions while getting that third scoring option would be looked for as an increase, though Fisher said the team “just didn’t make shots.”
Noted Parker, “If we spread that third option around three people and they are good quality shots, I would take those over four double digit scores.
GURU NOTES: Rob Knox was scheduled at last notice to be on hand at the Mystics game where it’s been reported over night to no one’s surprise that Wilmington native and former Delaware star Elena Delle Donne will be formally presented as the league MVP prior to the tipoff, where the Washington star becomes the first in the WNBA to earn MVP honors with two different squads.
She was a past winner playing for the Chicago Sky.
Former La Salle star and South Jersey native Cheryl Reeve, who is recent years has been both the Minnesota coach and GM has been named the WNBA executive of the year, a relatively new award voted by a panel of one executive from each of the 12 WNBA teams.
The postseason media panel officially named Phoenix guard Leilani Mitchell most improved, her second award making her the first to be a multiple winner in the category from the group of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Previously, a 2010 recipient playing for the New York Liberty, who on Tuesday claimed the overall No. 1 pick in next spring’s draft, Mitchell received 27 of 43 votes.
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