New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Sun earn bye in WNBA playoffs
UNCASVILLE — The record will show that the Connecticut Sun’s bench was outscored for just the second time in the last 19 games. However, with the Sun looking to secure a first-round bye in the upcoming WNBA playoffs, some key contributions from the Connecticut reserves down the stretch helped the Sun hold off the hard-charging Los Angeles Sparks.
Visiting Los Angeles had cut a 19-point deficit to just four points heading into the fourth quarter. Morgan Tuck had a pair of baskets 32 seconds apart and Betnijah Laney hit a pair of foul shots with 14.5 seconds left to play in Connecticut’s 89-86 victory before a season-high crowd of 8,040 at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.
“Coming off the bench, your role is to make an impact, to bring energy and bring plays so we’ve been able to do that,” said Tuck, who had 10 points to score in double digits for the eighth time this season. “You just try to defend and get stops.”
That is exactly what Tuck did when matched up on former WNBA Most Valuable Player Candace Parker with less than 31⁄2 minutes remaining. Tuck’s steal led to Courtney Williams’ fast-break layup.
“We had a big lead and we gave it up,” Tuck said. “At the end, every play mattered and I tried to make whatever play I can.”
Laney had played just four minutes in the last two games but with 23.8 seconds to play and with her clinging to a five-point lead, she was summoned off the bench. She immediately got her hands on Jonquel Jones’ miss free throw although the ball was quickly ripped away by Los Angeles guard Riquana Williams. After a layup by Williams pulled Los Angeles within three, Laney was sent to the foul line and calmly made both shots.
“That is a big part of our team and why we have had so much success over this season is that we have a deep bench if not the deepest bench in the league,” Laney said. “(Chiney Ogwumike) didn’t play but we had people to step up.”
The bench didn’t have all the fun. Jasmine Thomas had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists to lead four starters scoring in double figures. Jones, starting for Ogwumike, had her sixth straight double-digit scoring game with 17 points. Williams had 13 points and Shekinna Stricklen added 10 for the Sun (21-13).
“It was good for us to close out a game like that, a game that was so important,” Jasmine Thomas said.
The win means that two teams will be eliminated from the playoffs by the time that Connecticut plays its first playoff game on Thursday. If Connecticut lost the game, there was a chance that the Sun could have dropped to the No. 6 seed. If that had happened, defending champion Minnesota would have faced the Sun on Tuesday.
The team won’t practice on Monday and the extra time could be valuable. Ogwumike missed her second straight game with knee soreness, Courtney Williams missed almost the entire third quarter as she fell to the court after missing a jump shot late in the first half.
“Every team has something that is nagging them at the end of the season so the more rest you get, the better you are going to feel for your game,” Tuck said. “Being able to play Thursday, getting a day off and being able to relax a little is going to help tremendously.”
Candace Parker led Los Angeles (19-15) with 20 points but she had only two field goals in the second half. Jantel Lavender had 17 points, Essence Carson added 14, Chelsea Gray contributed 12 points and seven assists while Odyssey Sims had all 11 of her points after halftime. Los Angeles played without Nneka Ogwumike.