Williams dominant in win over Atlanta
UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun gave away Courtney Williams trading cards to fans inside Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday as the Eastern Conference leaders defeated the Atlanta Dream 105-92.
Williams went on to have her best game of the season against her former team — one that allowed her to sit through the fourth quarter with a towel wrapped around her neck, only standing up every time her teammates impressed her.
She tied her season high in points (18) before the halfway point of the third quarter and surpassed it with a long two-pointer from the wing with 4 minutes, 52 seconds on the clock in the same period.
Williams also grabbed her 1,000th career rebound in the third quarter and finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Her backcourtmate, Natisha Hiedeman, also set a season high with 18 points when she hit a midrange jumper to end the third quarter.
Jonquel Jones added 15 points — her eighth game with that many or more this season — nine rebounds and two blocks.
Hiedeman and Williams had eight and seven, respectively, in the first five minutes of action, helping the Sun to pull away early. Later in the period a 10-0 run pushed the lead to 27-14 with just over two minutes left.
Bench points to start the second quarter, including a 3-pointer from Nia Clouden and two from Dijonai Carrington, maintained a 15-point lead for the Sun. Working within their system, the Sun shot 66.7% from 3-point range in the first half with help from 17 team
assists.
The lead extended to as many as 29 in the third quarter for Connecticut in front of its 4,000-plus home fans. Atlanta cut its deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Sun bench was able to maintain the lead and hold on for a 13-point win.
It was Connecticut’s second win by 13 points or more since it defeated the Indiana Fever 88-69 last Wednesday.
Rhyne Howard, the 2022 No. 1 draft pick and Atlanta’s early candidate for Rookie of the Year, was held to 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting — although she made a gamehigh four 3-pointers in the contest.
Newly signed Jazmine
Jones entered the game in the fourth quarter after being picked up by the Sun earlier on Wednesday. Jones was drafted No. 12 overall by the New York Liberty in 2020 and played a strong defensive rookie season — a part of her game the Sun look forward to utilizing.
“Jazmine has been on our radar for a long time,” Sun coach Curt Miller said before the game. “She’s a springy, really good athlete, strong guard that can guard multiple positions and I think gives us more depth if we want to stay bigger.”
Connecticut’s highest scoring output of the season came from 52.6% shooting from the field and 51.9% from 3-point range.
With a fifth win in their last six games, the Sun improve to an Eastern Conference-best 11-4.