UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun put up a fight against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena, but the young squad couldn’t overcome the championship favorites in a 94-70 loss.
The Sun, who have won six games in the last two weeks, suffered their first defeat by double-digits since Aug. 11 against Minnesota, falling to 0-3 this season in the series. Four Lynx starters finished with 15-plus points, led by 18 points on 70% shooting from center Alanna Smith. Former Sun guard DiJonai Carrington added 18 plus three steals off the bench to power the decisive victory. UConn great Napheesa Collier came just shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds, also anchoring the Lynx defensively with three blocks and two steals.
With the win, Minnesota clinched the top overall seed in the WNBA Playoffs.
Connecticut leaned on its veterans in the brutal matchup, powered by 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists from star center Tina Charles. Marina Mabrey added 14 points plus four rebounds and two assists, and former Huskies standout Aaliyah Edwards had a big performance off the bench with 11 points plus five rebounds.
The Sun had hope in the first quarter despite a poor shooting start, trailing by just two points entering the second after outrebounding Minnesota, 14-4. Mabrey found her shot quickly starting 3-for-4 from the field and hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds of the quarter that remained the Sun’s only makes from beyond the arc in the entire first half. Connecticut also managed to keep a lid on Collier, the league’s leading scorer, holding her to just two points on two field goal attempts.
But the rest of the Lynx stepped up amid Collier’s quiet start, shooting a combined 50% from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range in the opening quarter. The Sun average 15.4 forced turnovers per game, but Minnesota didn’t give up a single possession in the first while frocing five against Connecticut.
The Lynx quickly proved why they’re the No. 1 team in the league in the second quarter, beginning on an 11-2 run that the Sun never recovered from. The team was held scoreless for three minutes as Minnesota’s defense found a rhythm, giving up four more turnovers before halftime for just the second time this season without logging a single steal.
Connecticut’s rookies showed their inexperience for the first time in weeks against the veteran-laden Lynx, shooting a combined 4-for-20 in the first half. Aneesah Morrow led the team with six rebounds but was scoreless at halftime, and Leila Lacan had a team-high three turnovers despite her three assists.
But the Sun found a new energy in the third quarter, fueled by 18 points off the bench after entering halftime with two. French rookie Migna Toure, who first joined the team on July 21 on a seven-day contract, had a career-high eight points, all in the third including a pair of 3-pointers. Edwards also added six points in the quarter, helping cut Minnesota’s lead from as many as 20 points down to 12 entering the fourth.
Minnesota remained in control down the stretch, but the Sun found responses early in the fourth to keep the team from widening its lead. Mabrey sank her second three of the game to snap a Lynx run after they scored five straight early in the fourth, and Morrow hit just her second field goal of the game to cut the deficit back to 12, forcing the Lynx into a timeout. Minnesota went on a 12-1 run out of the timeout, putting the game out of reach for Connecticut.
The Sun finished the game outrebounding the Lynx 41-35, but Minnesota shot better than 50% both from the field and on 3-pointers to eventually run away with the victory. Connecticut had a season-low three steals and forced just nine team turnovers, though they still managed to take advantage of their limited opportunities with nine points off of Minnesota’s lost possessions. But the Sun struggled in transition getting outscored 12-4 on fastbreaks, so their offense couldn’t build momentum. The team shot just 36.2% from the field and 5-for-16 beyond the arc.
