Sun face Sparks in home opener
The Connecticut Sun play their first home contest of the 2022 WNBA season on Saturday night, set to face the Los Angeles Sparks at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The game, which will be broadcast live on Facebook at 7 p.m. and later shown on NESN following the Red Sox-rangers, kicks off the franchise’s celebration of its 20th anniversary season.
Asjha Jones, who won two national championships at Uconn in 2000 and 2002 and was a two-time WNBA All-star with the Sun during her time with the franchise from 2004 to 2012, will be honored as part of the anniversary festivities following the game. Jones’ jersey will be hung in the rafters and the ceremony will include remarks from Uconn head coach Geno Auriemma, Sun team president and former Husky star Jennifer Rizzotti and former Uconn assistant Marisa Moseley, along with Beth Regan and Kathy Reganpyne.
The Sun lost their season opener on the road against the New York Liberty last Saturday, 81-79. The team didn’t have its full roster available as All-stars Dewanna Bonner and Courtney Williams were both out. Williams has to sit out the first two games of the season on a suspension and Bonner was competing overseas in Turkey. Bonner is now listed as in the process of returning to the team but won’t be available against the Sparks.
Back fully healthy after sitting out most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, Alyssa Thomas was dominant in the loss to the Liberty. She had 25 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Connecticut went 4 of 17 (23.5%) on 3-point attempts and turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 31 points for New York. The Sun have had plenty of time to focus on improving since as they’ve had a full week without a game, a rarity in this year’s historic 36-game season.
“Anytime you have opportunity to practice in this league in this condensed season is really important,” Sun head coach Curt Miller said. “We’re going to be tinkering all year with new players and where they’re best positioned to be successful with new lineups. Having an opportunity to practice [Alyssa Thomas], [Jonquel Jones] and [Brionna Jones] on the floor together is invaluable.”
The Sun spent Monday focused on individual film sessions along with individual and team workouts. They put the Liberty game to bed on Tuesday, had a day off on Wednesday and have spent the rest of the week preparing for the Sparks. Controlling the pace of the game will be a big focus on Saturday.
“They’re playing really fast,” Alyssa Thomas said. “Their point guards are really pushing tempo and trying to get early actions, and then of course you have Liz [Cambage] in the paint, so they come at you with a lot of different looks. But for us the biggest thing is trying to slow the ball down.”
What to know about the Los Angeles Sparks:
Los Angeles is off to a 2-1 start, including wins over the reigning champion Chicago Sky in overtime and against the Indiana Fever. Most recently the Sparks lost to the Atlanta Dream, 77-75, on Wednesday. All three games were on the road.
The Sparks’ roster looks quite different than a season ago when they finished 12-20. Most notably, the franchise signed the 6-foot-9 Cambage, a four-time WNBA All-star. Los Angeles also traded for guards Chennedy Carter and Lexie Brown and signed Jordin Canada. Cambage and Canada are both averaging more than 16 points per game, as is forward Nneka Ogumike.
Los Angeles also acquired former Uconn stars Katie Lou Samuelson (via a trade with Seattle) and Olivia Nelson-ododa (via the draft). Both are listed as out for Saturday’s game, as they have been throughout the young season. Samuelson is on a partial season suspension while competing overseas where she just won the Spanish League Championship, while Nelson-ododa is listed as week-to-week with a hip injury. Guard Kristi Toliver is also out on a partial season suspension as she coaches the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs.