The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Sun rally to updend Aces
UNCASVILLE — On the same night they honored their past, the Connecticut Sun gave their fans another reason to celebrate the present.
With the WNBA playoffs beginning in a few weeks, the Sun continue to resemble a championship contender. Look no further than Friday’s seesaw affair against the Las Vegas aces, in which Connecticut rallied from a ninepoint halftime deficit to win 8985 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“That’s a big win in an incredible environment,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “We talked at the end of shootaround that our playoffs essentially start today. It was going to feel like a playoff game. The good news we shared with them is that regardless of what happened tonight, we weren’t going to be out of the playoffs. It wasn’t going to be oneanddone.
“Let’s lay it all on the line and play hard.”
That’s precisely what the Sun did, edging the Western Conferenceleading Aces (1910) thanks to big efforts from Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams.
Thomas played all 40 minutes, pouring in a gamehigh 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Williams scored 24 points, none bigger than her jumper with 10.2 seconds left that essentially sealed the dramatic win.
“I want the ball. I know I can score whenever,” said Williams, who was 11of20 from the field. “That’s how I felt. I wanted the ball in my hand. I feel like everybody’s got confidence in me that I can go get a bucket. Put the ball in my hand.”
The victory vaulted the Sun (208) into a firstplace tie with the Washington Mystics, who were beaten 8578 by Chicago. Five games remain in the regular season, including two at home, where the Sun are 141.
“It was super big,” Williams said of the win, Connecticut’s fourth straight. “Them being in third, if they would’ve won that game, that would’ve knocked us down. We knew how important this game was.”
That created a sense of urgency that only heightened after Las Vegas fought back from a slow start to jump ahead 5647 at halftime. Connecticut, however, rose to the occasion when it mattered most, stymying the Aces down the stretch.
A’ja Wilson hit a jumper with 54.8 seconds remaining to pull Las Vegas within 8785, but the Aces never got closer. Williams and Jackie Young traded misses, setting the table for Williams to close it out with a 17foot pullup jumper.
Wilson finished with 17 points while Liz Cambage had 18 points and six rebounds. Dearica Hamby added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The victory capped a memorable night that included Lindsay Whalen getting her No. 13 retired at halftime.