Sweet-shooting Stricklen leads Sun

UNCASVILLE — The 6,608 in attendance were getting ready to celebrate as the Connecticut Sun were heading to the best start in franchise history and there were smiles all around when guard Courtney Williams waved a towel in the direction of teammate Shekinna Stricklen after yet another made 3-pointer while jokingly proclaiming that Stricklen was on fire.

Mohegan Sun Arena fell silent less than a minute later when Stricklen lay motionless on the court after boxing out on the defensive end of the court. Stricklen needed help getting to the sidelines after taking a knee to her back. Leaving more than one onlooker looking on in disbelief as the Sun’s top 3-point shooter had to leave the game.

The crowd roared its approval later in the fourth quarter when she checked back into the game and calmly hit the biggest shot in the Sun’s 86-76 victory on Friday night.

Stricklen hit seven 3pointers and scored 24 points as the Sun improved to 9-1 for the first time and are 18-2 in the last 20 regular-season games dating back to the 2018 season. She came one 3-pointer shy of matching her own franchise single-game record and two points short of her career high.

She made so many perimeter shots that when she was asked to describe the one she made with 2:29 left to play after Atlanta had pulled within five points, Stricklen drew a blank.

“I didn’t hesitate at all,” said Stricklen, who is 19 of 32 from 3-point range in the last four games. “My mind is made up and if I see any daylight, it is going up.

“I am in a good rhythm right now and my teammates are looking for me, they have a lot of confidence in me and they feel like every shot I shoot is going in. It just makes me feel good and it makes me want to shoot and make them all. I give a lot of credit to my teammates, they do all the hard work, they penetrate, they kick out.”

Her teammates took turns getting Stricklen open 3-pointers. Two of Jasmine Thomas’ nine assists came on Stricklen 3-pointers, Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams each assisted on a pair of Stricklen 3-pointers with Bria Holmes setting up the other one.

“We call her Klay, she does not miss,” Sun guard Rachel Banham said. “I hope she keeps staying hot, we are really proud of her.”

Banham, who also had a pair of key 3-pointers, not only came up with the nickname last year in honor of the Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, but bought Stricklen a Thompson jersey.

Stricklen certainly has lived up to the nickname in the current seven-game winning streak by hitting 28 3-pointers over that span, putting the Sun atop the WNBA standings heading into an upcoming threegame road trip.

Atlanta (2-6), playing without the injured Angel McCoughtry and reserve guard Alex Bentley who is preparing for the Eurobasket tournament, shot 54% in the second half after a nightmarish offensive showing for much of the first.

Brittney Sykes had 14 of her 18 points in the second half, Renee Montgomery and Nia Coffey combined for 22 points after halftime as the Dream rallied on multiple occasions to make the Sun work for the victory.

Jonquel Jones had 18 points, Jasmine Thomas finished with 13 to go with the nine assists and Courtney Williams had 10 points despite dealing with foul trouble for much of the game. Banham and Morgan Tuck had six points each off the bench which Banham playing a season-high 18 minutes with reserve guard Layshia Clarendon missing the game with a right ankle injury suffered in Wednesday’s practice.

Jessica Breland had 17 points but Montgomery and fellow former UConn star Tiffany Hayes combined for just 24 points on 8 of 23 shooting after combining for 44 points and eight 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over Indiana.