Thomas, Jones help Sun eclipse Mercury

Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Jonquel Jones added 20 points and eight rebounds and the Connecticut Sun beat the Phoenix Mercury 94-66 on Sunday.

UNCASVILLE » Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Jonquel Jones added 20 points and eight rebounds and the Connecticut Sun beat the Phoenix Mercury 94-66 on Sunday.

Courtney Williams had 16 points, Jasmine Thomas finished with 14 and Shekinna Stricklen added 12 for Connecticut (19-10). The Sun shot 52.9 percent (37 of 70) from the field, including 8 of 20 from 3-point range.

Connecticut led 46-45 at halftime, but limited Phoenix to just 21 second-half points, its lowest-scoring half of the season. Jasmine Thomas hit two 3-pointers during a 16-2 run to open the third quarter and the Sun led by double figures the rest of the way. They scored 16 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to take a 94-64 lead, the biggest of the game, with 1:54 to play.

Brittney Griner led Phoenix (15-14) with 18 points, and Monique Curry had 12. The Mercury shot just 33.8 percent (24 of 71) from the field, their second-worst shooting percentage of the season.

Minnesota Lynx forward Plenette Pierson is retiring after the season.

The two-time WNBA champion entered the league in 2003 and won titles with Detroit in 2006 and 2008. She has played for six different teams and won the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year honor in 2007.

“This is my last hurrah,” Pierson said before the Lynx played the Liberty on Sunday. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last two years and know it’s time to move on to something else. I’ve given a lot to the game and it’s given me a lot back.”

Pierson has averaged 9.6 points a game in her career, including a high of 12.9 in 2011 for the New York Liberty.

“She’s made a career out of doing all the things necessary to help a team win with her toughness,” said Bill Laimbeer, who coached her in Detroit and New York.

Pierson, whose Twitter handle is “DaEnforcer33,” made the AllStar Game in 2015. She is averaging 4.6 points a game this season while playing 13 minutes a contest for the Lynx. Pierson will turn 36 at the end of the month.