Sun honor UConn’s Jones following home opener win
UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun brought the heat from the very beginning — literally right before tipoff.
To begin its 20th season anniversary celebration, the Sun debuted flame throwers and sparks for its starting lineup introductions Saturday night. The heat from the flames at center court could be felt along the baseline as the sound of the sparks exploding above reverberated through Mohegan Sun Arena.
In front of 5,624 fans — including UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and his wife, Kathy — the franchise used the anniversary to honor former Huskies and Sun star Asjha Jones following its 77-60 defeat of Los Angeles for its first win of the season.
“Big win for us tonight to protect home court against one of the most talented defensive teams in the league,” Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller said. “Really, really happy with how we competed, the tempo that we played at and the way we thrived off our defense in that first half to really get out in transition and find ways to score against this talented defense. …. We really dominated the defensive glass and overall, that’s a really nice home win. We pride ourselves on making this as difficult a place to play for opponents and it’s a great start to the year for us.”
2021 MVP Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas carried Connecticut (1-1) through Saturday’s game, combining for 39 of Connecticut’s total points and 24 of its 45 rebounds. Thirty-two-yearold WNBA rookie Yvonne Anderson made her league debut against the Sparks, finishing with two points, one steal and one rebound in 11 minutes.
Saturday will be the Sun’s final game with only nine available players. Courtney Williams will make her season debut Tuesday after sitting out the first two games of the regular season due a league suspension she received in the fall. Longtime Sun veteran DeWanna Bonner returned to Connecticut this weekend after her overseas season ended. While she was with the team on the bench Saturday, she has yet to practice since returning.
The Sparks (2-2) were led by Jordin Canada and Nneka Ogwumike with 12 points each. Former Huskies Katie Lou Samuelson and Olivia Nelson-Ododa were not with the team Saturday. Samuelson remains unavailable due to her overseas competition, while Nelson-Ododa has yet to make her professional regular-season debut because of an ongoing hip injury. The recent UConn graduate remains listed week-to-week.
After falling to New York in its season opener this past Saturday, Connecticut started its matchup against Los Angeles in full control with a 12-0 run. The Sparks didn’t score their first field goal until almost five minutes into the first quarter.
Despite boasting 6-foot-8 Liz Cambage on its roster, LA struggled against Connecticut’s bigs. By halftime, the Sun had 27 rebounds to LA’s nine and had outscored the Sparks 20-8 in the paint. Jonquel Jones and Thomas led the charge as the game’s only two players in double-figure scoring and with more than three boards each at the intermission.
Connecticut carried its momentum throughout the game’s second half, leading by as much as 24. By the end, the Sun had 45 rebounds compared to LA’s 21.
The Sun honored Asjha Jones following the victory with a celebration to introduce her into the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
After helping lead UConn to two national championships during her time in Storrs (1998-2002), Asjha Jones went on to play 13 years in the WNBA as a two-time All-Star and 2015 WNBA champion. She played nine seasons with the Sun, as Connecticut retired her No. 15 onto its Ring of Honor banner Saturday night.
Auriemma, Jennifer Rizzotti, Marissa Mosley and two members of the Mohegan tribal council (Beth Regan and sister Kathy Regan-Pyne) spoke about Asjha Jones’ impact on both UConn and the Sun.
“There’s been a lot of great players at UConn, at the Connecticut Sun, in the WNBA and on the Olympic team, but there’s only been one Asjha Jones,” Auriemma said.
Asjha Jones is the fifth former Sun player — including fellow former Husky Nykesha Sales — to have their number retired.
Connecticut’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday at New York (7 p.m.) before hosting Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m.