Sports: Connecticut Sun beat Washington Mystics, 88-64, to stay unbeaten

Jasmine Thomas scores 25 points as Connecticut improves to 5-0

Washington — Jasmine Thomas hadn't been shooting well for the Connecticut Sun four games into the WNBA season.

She sure changed that Sunday against the Washington Mystics. Thomas scored a season-high 25 as Connecticut used a dominant third quarter to roll to an 88-64 win before 5,176 at Capital One Arena.

Connecticut led the entire game with Thomas making 5 of 7 shots, including two 3-pointers, for 12 points in the first quarter.

“Maybe just my confidence,” Thomas said when asked what got her going Sunday. “My teammates told me to take my shot confidently. … (they were) pushing me and finding me, and they were going under on screens and I was looking for my shot.”

The Sun (5-0) continued their best start since 2011 when they won their first seven games. They're the only unbeaten left in the 12-team WNBA.

“(It's an) exciting start for us,” Connecticut head coach Curt Miller said. “(I'm) proud of them. We talked about how important May was, so when we took care of business in that three-game homestead, now we needed to translate it on the road and all we have been talking about is toughness on the road.”

Chiney Ogwumike had 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals for the Sun and Alyssa Thomas added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Alex Bentley (15 points) and Jonquel Jones (8 points, 8 rebounds) both contributed off the bench.

Sun guard Courtney Williams (eight points) had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Rookie Ariel Atkins had a team-high 14 points for Washington (5-3). Tianna Hawkins and Monique Currie both scored 10 with five rebounds.

The Mystics played their fourth straight game without 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne due to illness.

“Obviously, without Delle Donne, their fourth game in six days, a little luck plays into this, and they lost their legs,” Miller said. “They are a terrific shooting

team and only went 3-21 (from the 3-pont line). … but (we) kept them off the foul line, did not do a bad job defending them at the arc, so (it's) a huge road win against a really good team.”

Washington head coach Mike Thibault said, “It makes a big difference when you're missing your best player who is an MVP-type player. That hurts us, but that can't be the only reason we played like we did. Every team goes through that. We proved this past week. She didn't play the second half of the Minnesota game (a 9078 win on May 27). She didn't play in Seattle (an 81-77 loss on May 29) or Phoenix (a 103-95 win on May 30), and we played great basketball. Something was missing today.”

Washington shaved Connecticut's 14-point halftime lead to 49-43 just two minutes, 38 seconds into the third quarter.

The Sun outscored Washington, 25-4, the rest of the quarter.

Shekinna Stricklen and Alex Bentley hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push Connecticut ahead, 63-46, with 4:34 left in the quarter.

Jonquel Jones closed the quarter with a layup and, seconds later, the first of two free throws to give the Sun their largest lead, 74-47.

Connecticut will play at the Atlanta Dream (2-3) on Tuesday. It closes its four-game, seven-day road trip Thursday against the New York Liberty.