Surging Sun move to the top of AP power poll

New York — Connecticut's balanced attack on offense this season is causing problems for opponents and the Sun have rolled to the best record in the league.

On a given night, any of coach Curt Miller's players can lead the team on offense. The coach says the team doesn't have an alpha dog, but the "pack" philosophy as Miller calls is working.

The Sun are 7-1 and sit atop The Associated Press power poll for the first time.

"I think the (balanced offense) is a whole mentality that we've talked about, a 'we have to win as a pack mentality,'" Miller said. "We don't really have an alpha dog that a few teams have in the league, but we feel we're very deep and we have a balance and depth within our roster.” This week's power poll: 1. Connecticut (7-1): Shekinna Stricklen took her demotion from the starting lineup well, hitting a game-winning shot to beat New York.

2. Los Angeles (5-2): The Sparks welcomed top pick Maria Vadeeva to the team this week. The Russian star will see her first game action soon.

3. Phoenix (7-3): The Mercury are riding a five-game winning streak thanks to Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.

4. Seattle (6-3): Followed up an impressive blowout victory in Los Angeles with a hiccup at home against Atlanta.

5. Atlanta (5-3): Moving up in the poll after three straight wins, including two on the road.

6. Washington (5-4): The Mystics had a relatively quiet week to get healthy and ready for a pivotal game at Sun.

7. Dallas (4-3): The Wings got a huge effort from Skylar Diggins to win their lone game of the week.

8. Minnesota (3-6): The Lynx are struggling to get consistent production off the bench this year with this loss of Renee Montgomery and Natasha Howard to free agency.

9. New York (3-4): Got a much-needed win over Indiana. The Liberty have lost their four games by a combined 16 points.

10. Chicago (3-5): The Sky got Allie Quigley back, but still are missing Stefanie Dolson due to injury.

11. Las Vegas (1-7): The Aces have back-to-back road games in Indiana and New York which doesn't bode well.

12. Indiana (0-8): The Fever had their best shot at that first win of the season when they hosted Las Vegas Tuesday.