The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
League makes a rare touch down in Bridgeport
BRIDGEPORT — Fans in the Bridgeport area are no strangers to seeing women’s basketball played at Webster Bank Arena. The 11-time national champion UConn women’s basketball team has won 13 of the 14 NCAA tournament games at the home of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Fairfield women’s basketball team opened its 2017-18 season in the arena.
Staging WNBA games at Webster Bank Arena, however, it somewhat more of a novelty.
The last time the Connecticut Sun made an appearance in the Park City was in the 2007 preseason opener. Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Dream, the preseason finale for both teams, marked just the third time that the Sun played in Bridgeport.
Discussions started not long after Mohegan Sun announced its exclusive partnership with Webster Bank Arena in December. “We thought it was a great way to launch the partnership and be there to represent Mohegan Sun as we kind of kick off the new season,” said Amber Cox, vice president of the Connecticut Sun.
“We know that several NCAA tournament games have been here. UConn fans are used to traveling there and it is a great venue so we do feel like it is a great opportunity to get fans from maybe another part of the state that maybe haven’t seen this version of the Sun or haven’t been to a Sun game in a while.”
While all the regular season home games will be
played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, efforts have been made to increase visibility in other parts of a state including holding a recent practice in New Britain.
“In our backyard, we
want to be great community partners, but we are the Connecticut Sun so we want to get all over the state,” Cox said. “We have such great ambassadors who are willing to get out in the community, Chiney (Ogwumike) was speaking at the CIAC banquet, they were in New Britain and doing something in our
backyard with an AAU tournament next weekend. These ladies in addition to preparing for the season are willing and mindful about being out and sticking to the roots of the WNBA.”
The Sun are still without All-Star forward/center Jonquel Jones but the rest of the team made the trip
to the game. Atlanta was without perennial All-Star Angel McCoughtry but the remainder of the players including former UConn stars Tiffany Hayes and Renee Montgomery took part in the game.