UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — They certainly made it exciting, but the Connecticut Sun defeated the Dallas Wings, 74-72, after Alyssa Thomas hit the go-ahead layup with under a minute to play and stripped a Maddy Siegrist layup attempt for the win. The victory came despite the Sun blowing a double-digit second-half lead, and missing an onslaught of free throws in the closing minutes.
“We made it a little stressful for you guys tonight,” Rachel Banham said to the raucous Mohegan Sun crowd moments after the game. “I was stressed, too.” Head coach Stephanie White credited the team’s defensive resilience down the stretch even when shots weren’t falling. “We made some tough defensive plays down the stretch that saved the game for us,” White said.
The Sun started the game slow, falling behind by double digits in the first quarter, just as they have several times this season. But like they have all year, they responded, with the bench providing a lift to close the first period and Thomas carrying the load with her playmaking the rest of the way.
Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas lead the way
Thomas flirted with a triple-double, finishing the night with 15 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds and two steals, while Brionna Jones, still working her way to full-strength after suffering an Achilles rupture last summer, exploded for a season-high 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
“We missed her,” Thomas said of Jones. “Especially for these games. She’s just a great inside presence. She can handle the big post players, push them out. Little by little, she’s going to come back into her own, and just really happy to see her out there.” Jones was the recipient of more than a couple of Thomas passes for midrange jumpers. “I mean, they just kept leaving her,” Thomas said of the Wings’ defense, which tended to over help and leave Jones wide open. “They just kept letting her have her jump shot.”
Jones, meanwhile, said she’s feeling increasingly comfortable hitting from the midrange, after making it a priority to improve her range as she recovered from her Achilles tear. “I’ve been working on it all offseason, just getting in the gym, getting shots up,” Jones said. “It’s something I definitely wanted to come in this year, and be able to bring my shot more and not just have to stay in the post all the time. That was definitely a focus.”
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