Sports: WNBA Finals going the limit as Sun beat Mystics, 90-86, in Game 4
Connecticut forces a deciding game for title with dramatic win over Mystics in Game 4
Mohegan — The Connecticut Sun gave themselves one more chance to capture their first WNBA championship.
The Sun stormed out to an 18-point first quarter lead in Game 4 of Thursday night's WNBA Finals, only to have the Washington Mystics pick themselves off the mat and go ahead by as five points early in the fourth quarter
But Shekinna Stricklen's 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left in the game put Connecticut ahead for good, and the Sun held on for a 9086 win to tie series in as fantastic a game the Mohegan Sun Arena has enjoyed in a long time before 8,458 fans.
Game 5 is Thursday night at the
Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington (8 p.m., ESPN2). One more chance. Alyssa Thomas played yet another 40-minute game for Connecticut and had 17 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds.
"It was just about staying calm and doing what we do," Thomas told ESPN after the game. "We're trying to win a championship. It's just about stepping up and being confident."
Every Sun starter scored in double figures. Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Courtney Williams had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Jasmine Thomas added 14 points and five assists and Stricklen scored 15 with four rebounds.
Natasha Cloud had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Washington and Ariel Powers scored 15 off the bench.
Reserve Emma Meesseman had 12 points and five rebounds for the Mystics and Ariel Atkins scored 14.
The game was tied at 81 with 3:09 left when Jasmine Thomas made a 3-pointer for the Sun.
Meesseman answered with a three of her own on the other end, but Stricklen came right back with 3-pointer to put Connecticut ahead, 87-84, with 2:23 remaining.
Washington started a 19-6 run late in the third quarter and continued it into the fourth. Meesseman's 3-pointer gave the Mystics their largest lead, 77-72, with 6:51 remaining.
Jasmine Thomas helped the Sun come back and tie. She made the second of two free throws and, after a Jones' layup, scored on a layup of her own to tie the game at 77 with 5:35 left
The Sun had their 16-point halftime lead cut to a point with over five minutes left in the third quarter. They got their lead back up to 6658 with Jasmine Thomas making a 3-pointer to end Connecticut's run with 3:30 remaining in the period.
Washington came right back with a 10-2 run to close the third. Meesseman scored six for the Mystics, and Powers' driving layup tied the game at 68 with 41 seconds left and the final points of the quarter.
Toliver opened the fourth with a steal to set up Hawkins layup that gave the Mystics its first lead since early in the first quarter, 70-68.
Connecticut led 56-40 at halftime.
The Mystics began shaving the lead to start the third quarter. Elena Delle Donne made back-to-back shots.
Cloud's steal on one led to an Atkins' turnaround jumper at the other end as Washington closed to within 56-46 just 1:32 into the second half, prompting Miller to call timeout.
Atkins made a 3-pointer, followed by two in a row by Toliver, to cut Connecticut's lead to 57-56 with 5:29 left in the third quarter.
Washington managed to cut an 18-point, first-quarter deficit in half in the second quarter. Hawkins' open 3-pointer and Cloud's layup shrunk the Sun's lead to 40-31 with 6:32 left in the first half.
Successive free throws by Jones and Alyssa Thomas pushed Connecticut's lead back into double digits, 44-31, with 5:16 remaining in the half.
Williams closed the first half with three straight baskets. The last, a 15-foot floating jumper with a second left, gave Connecticut the 16-point halftime lead.
n.griffen@theday.com