Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun July 30, 2017

For the Sun, all players scored with five players scoring in double figures. Additionally, the Sun had 24 assists, the tenth time they had 20 or more assists in a game. All these things sound familiar as the team worked together to defeat the Indiana Fever 89-73 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

For the Sun, Jasmine Thomas led all scorers with 15 points while Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones each scored 14 points. Alex Bentley scored 11 points, and Courtney Williams 10 points in the victory.

For the Fever, Erica Wheeler and Jazmon Gwathmey each scored 13 points. Marissa Coleman scored her 2000th WNBA career point during the game.

After the game, Connecticut Sun Head Coach stated: “Excited with the way we played the first three quarters especially. ...Their attention to detail on our game plan and schemes on both sides of the ball was really impressive. We ran, we turned them over more than most people do, and got the running game going when they started to miss a few shots. The big key was keeping them out of the paint. We kept them out of the paint - in the first half, the discrepancy of points in the paint between the two teams at halftime was large. Couldn’t be more proud of the way we played. Now in the fourth quarter, disappointed with our execution with a low scoring quarter. We lost some focus with the big lead. You never want to have to put starters back in in that situation, but we just needed to calm down for a minute or two and get to the finish line. Good win, series clincher. That does a lot for us in the grand scheme of things. If Indiana makes a run, now we hold the tiebreaker and that’s important. Overall, for three quarters, really, really good basketball.”

The Sun play the Phoenix Mercury next at home on August 4th, while the Fever host the Chicago Sky on the same day.

See photos from the game below, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

Chicago Sky vs Connecticut Sun July 25, 2017

Team basketball. Sharing the ball. Connecticut Sun Coach Curt Miller calls it "Sun basketball". That's what the Sun turned on, especially in the second half, to defeat the Chicago Sky 93-72 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The Sun set new season highs with 27 assists and 13 steals. They also had 28 rebounds in the first half, the most in any half of the season. Alyssa Thomas led the Sun scorers with 20 points, while Courtney Williams and Jasmine Thomas both had 17 points.

For the Sky, WNBA All Star 3-point contest winner, Allie Quigley had 20 points scoring in double figures for her eighth straight game.

After the game, Connecticut Sun Head Coach Curt Miller stated: “It’s an important win for us. Trying to keep momentum that we built before the All-Star Break. I don’t think at times we played Sun basketball. I think it was a pretty ugly game in stretches, both ways. Proud of the intensity, the fight that we had. We competed in the second half and showed more of Sun basketball. I thought we got, throughout the game, a lot of contributions from a variety of people. I loved when Jas Thomas played angry in the second half, it really helped us. AT’s (Alyssa Thomas) plus/minus was huge [25!]. We were great on the boards."

Chicago Sky's Jessica Breland commented regarding the Sun: “They are real young, they are active, and they move a lot. You can tell they have chemistry, they know each other, they can just throw passes and know they are going to be there. Overall, they run and they get up and down with Alyssa at the four and JJ she is really athletic and that makes Connecticut difficult.”

The Sun play the Washington Mystics next in D.C. on July 28th, while the Sky defend their home court against the Phoenix Mercury also on July 28th.

See photos from the game below, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

A Look Back - 2015 WNBA All Star Game

As we get ready to watch tomorrow's WNBA All Star game, here's a look back at the previous All Star celebration in 2015 held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. There wasn't an All Star game in 2016 due to the Summer Olympics.

In 2015, the All Star events included a Fit Clinic for girls and boys with Alex Bentley, Tamika Catchings, Brittney Griner, Kayla McBride, Shoni Schimmel, and Riquna Williams. There was also an open practice for both the East and West teams, and of course, the All Star game itself. 

Check out the photos below, or visit the gallery with full-size images.

San Antonio Stars vs Connecticut Sun July 16, 2017

The Connecticut Sun equals Teamwork. Once again the Sun demonstrated outstanding teamwork with all players scoring in their victory over the San Antonio Stars. Four of the Sun starters finished in double figures with Courtney Williams leading the Sun with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Although the Sun were down by five at the half, the third quarter became the major turning point in the game. Connecticut came out of the locker room showing more energy while executing a stifling defense. The Sun had eight steals in the third quarter alone (13 steals overall), a franchise record for thefts in a quarter. Connecticut also shot 68.4% (13-for-19 from the floor) in the third quarter as the Sun outscored the Stars 33 – 10, turning the 40-35 halftime deficit into a 68-50 lead after three quarters. Connecticut maintained the lead for the rest of the game successfully defending their home court. Final score: Connecticut 89, San Antonio 75.

Sun Coach Miller commented after the game, “We’re proud of our team in the second half. The energy, the desire, the effort that they brought in the third quarter was really, really impressive. There was no magical X-and-O change at halftime; there was no yelling at them. It was a calm locker room. We stayed with the game plan that we talked about. We talked about disrupting and getting more hands on the ball. They only committed two turnovers in the first half and we felt it was really important that we had more disruption. That third quarter was a dominant performance, but again, not an X-and-O change. That’s total in effort, desire and veteran leadership that got us together and they played their butts off in that second half and that third quarter obviously changed the game.”

The Sun now travel to New York City meet up with the Liberty on Wednesday July 19th, while the Stars face the Dream in Atlanta on Tuesday July 18th.

See below for photos from the game, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

Penny Taylor #ThankYouPenny

Last night the Phoenix Mercury celebrated the phenomenal WNBA career of Penny Taylor before retiring her jersey #13. Penny played thirteen years in the WNBA, ten of those seasons with the Mercury. Penny continues to work with the Mercury now as the Director of Player Development.

Congratulations Penny. You'll be missed on the court but we're glad you're still part of the Phoenix Mercury. Just a few of Penny's numerous accomplishments are listed below.

· 3-time WNBA Champion · 3-time WNBA All Star · All WNBA First Team (2007) · 3-time Olympian · WNBL Champion (1999) · 3-time WNBL All-Star Five · FIBA World Championship MVP (2006)

A few photos of Penny Taylor from the past few years, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

Washington Mystics vs Connecticut Sun July 8, 2017

They never give up. The Connecticut Sun demonstrated this last night with a 92-96 victory over the Washington Mystics. But the win did not come easily. With 4 minutes 41 seconds left in the third quarter the Sun were down 22 points. It was the largest deficit the Sun have overcome for a win in franchise history. But the Sun maintained their focus to get the needed defensive stops and attack the offensive basket.

It was yet another game in which all five Sun starters scored in double figures with Jonquel Jones having a team high 22 points and scoring her 500th career point. Jones commented, “I think it was just a relentless attitude, a relentless will to come back. We were down by like 22 or 20, so I think it was just the team effort and everybody just believing that we could do it. We just chipped away at it, we played hard and were able to walk away with the win.” In the locker room after the game, Sun Head Coach Curt Miller stated, "I think you guys have surpassed the coaching staff [expectations] on how competitive you guys are. It's really fun to see you guys hate to lose."

For the Mystics, Elena Delle Donne led all scorers with 28 points. Kristi Toliver finished with 17 points and seven assists. Delle Donne stated about the loss, "We are struggling defensively. We haven't been able to execute and we are not getting our looks offensively."

The 10-7 Sun have now moved into first place in the Eastern Conference, and are fourth overall in the WNBA. The Mystics record is now 10-8 and fifth overall in league standings. 

The Sun having won their last four games, will travel to Seattle to take on the Storm on July 12th, while the Mystics meet up with the Fever in Indianapolis on July 14th.

See below for photos from the game, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

Seattle Storm vs Connecticut Sun June 29, 2017

WHAT. A. GAME. On my way out of the Mohegan Sun Arena after seeing the Connecticut Sun defeat the Seattle Storm 96-89, I rode up the elevator to the parking garage with a couple of other Sun fans. I said, "Great game tonight." They agreed shouting "It was absolutely amazing!"

"The hottest team in the WNBA right now." is how the Sun is being described these days, and this game certainly showed why.

On this special night with the Sun celebrating their 15th year anniversary, Jasmine Thomas scored a career-high 29 points (4 of 6 from the three point line) with 6 assists. Alyssa Thomas had a career-high 9 assists while scoring 17 points.

For Seattle, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd scored 22 and 21 points respectively. Sue Bird had 16 points with 5 assists for the game.

In the locker room after the game, Sun Coach Curt Miller said to the team "In this league, not very many teams win their fourth game in seven days. That's the game a lot of people lose. For you guys to step up and win that fourth game in seven days is huge. Now can we do five [wins] in nine [days]? Lets go do five in nine!"

The 7-7 Sun take on the 7-7 Indiana Fever on Saturday July 1st at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, while the Storm travel to Texas to play the Dallas Wings on Saturday, July 1st.

Some photos from the game below, or visit the gallery here for full-size images