Sports: Connecticut Sun beat Chicago Sky, 82-75
Mohegan — Physics were not on Jasmine Thomas' side when she slammed into a screen by the Chicago Sky's Stefanie Dolson during the third quarter of Sunday's Connecticut Sun game.
Thomas, the Sun's point guard, is 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds. Dolson, a center, is 6-5, 214.
Thomas drew an offensive foul, immediately began clapping her hands upon hitting the floor, and went right back to work.
“There are some points where you get into that zone in the game where you don't feel anything,” Thomas said after Connecticut's 82-75 win before 7,687 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“You just get so caught up in the energy, caught up in the intensity. … I feel fine. I think I'll feel it in the morning.”
Drawing a charge was one of many ways that Thomas impacted the game despite struggling offensively.
Thomas and the Sun had a rare off-night shooting (39.2 percent). They compensated with a 22-5 advantage on second-chance points and 10 steals.
Thomas missed 14 of 18 shots for Connecticut (18-13).
Ah, but every basketball player has been told many times during their life that when your shots don't go down, you can still influence a game with effort and defense.
“(I've heard that) since I was a kid,” Thomas smiled.
Thomas scored 11 with eight assists and four steals. She had all of her steals — and four assists — when Connecticut outscored the Sky in the third quarter, 27-8, to go ahead for good.
“Even though my shots weren't falling, I was still able to penetrate and get inside and still create for others when teams are still respecting me offensively,” Thomas said. “I still have to take advantage of that and just not keep settling taking open jumpers. “I can still put pressure on a defense.” Connecticut head coach Curt Miller said, “I'm just proud that Jas really competed there at the end. … When she gets that determination, not all of her shots go in, but good things usually happen because she's going to be aggressive.”
Jonquel Jones had 17 points and 15 rebounds, nine of which were offensive, for the Sun.
Courtney Williams added 22 points, Chiney Ogwumike had 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Alyssa Thomas had 14 points and eight rebounds for Connecticut
Dolson had 20 points and eight rebounds and Kahleah Copper scored 16 for the Sky (1120), who were eliminated from postseason contention.
Chicago's Courtney Vandersloot, who leads the league in assists, had 10 points and seven assists with seven turnovers.
A fight to the finish
The Sun are gunning for a WNBA playoff home game. They have three regular season games left and all are at home — vs. the Dallas Wings (Tuesday), the defending champion Minnesota Lynx (Friday) and Los Angeles Sparks (Aug. 19).
Connecticut is fourth in the overall standings and could finish as high as third. That's desirable as the third and fourth seeds get a first-round bye into the single-elimination second round.
The Sun are two games behind the thirdplace Washington Mystics (20-11). The teams split their regular season series, so the headto-head tiebreaker doesn't apply.
Connecticut is tied with Los Angeles Sparks (18-13), but it's in fourth because it won the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Sun have a half-game lead over the Phoenix Mercury (18-14), but the latter holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Connecticut leads Minnesota (17-14) by 1½ games because it won the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Sun were trailing Chicago in the third quarter when Jasmine Thomas turned a steal into a three-point play on the other end. Her free throw tied the game at 40 with seven minutes, 7 seconds left in the quarter and started a 25-6 run.
Thomas' fourth steal of the half led to a Williams layup that gave Connecticut a 50-46 lead. Williams made two free throws seconds later.
Jones followed with nine straight points, including a 3-pointer.
Thomas concluded the quarter by grabbing an offensive rebound with 0.3 seconds left and put up a shot. She missed but drew a foul.
Thomas made the first free throw to push the Sun ahead, 62-46.
“(Thomas) took it to another level and we just follow her lead,” Williams said. “She's our general, she's our leader, and when she goes, we go. She turned it up, so we turned it up.”
Wings make a move
• Dallas announced Sunday night that it fired head coach Fred Williams and assistant Taj McWilliams-Franklin, a former Sun standout, would be its interim head coach. The Wings (14-17) have lost eight straight, the last two without All-Star Liz Cambage (neck), the league's leading scorer (23).
“Even though my shots weren't falling, I was still able to penetrate and get inside and still create for others when teams are still respecting me offensively. I still have to take advantage of that and just not keep settling taking open jumpers.'' JASMINE THOMAS