Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White had a simple message for her players at practice as they prepared to face the Atlanta Dream on Sunday after getting upset days earlier by the fifth-place team in the Eastern Conference.
“We learned our lesson,” White told the huddle, a reminder of the sting of frustration that lingered from the 78-74 loss.
The Sun dominated Atlanta 80-67 in the rematch behind a career-high seven made 3-pointers from DeWanna Bonner. Getting redemption — and a third consecutive victory — was a valuable confidence boost for Connecticut on the heels of its brutal road trip that included three losses and an overtime 94-91 win against the 5-17 Washington Mystics. The Sun have scored at least 75 points in each of their last three wins, a sign that the team’s rollercoaster offensive showings are finally starting to level into more consistent production.
“We’re continually looking to improve on offense, certainly finding where our opportunities are, playing a little bit faster, keeping better spacing,” White said after routing the Dream. “(We want to be) playing one-second basketball, not letting the ball stick, finding the right reads whether teams are switching or trapping or whatever they’re doing to us on the defensive end. I love it when we’re a high assist-to-made field goal team, and we were that today.”
We had 3️⃣ players hit double digits in last night’s game! @DEEBONNER24 23 PTS @_bjones18 11 PTS @TiffMitch25 13 PTS pic.twitter.com/dkRK9Sb1I1
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) July 8, 2024
Connecticut can avenge another defeat on Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena, this time against the New York Liberty, who delivered the Sun their first loss of the season 82-75 on June 8. The Liberty also eliminated Connecticut from last year’s WNBA Playoffs in a 3-1 semifinal series, and they are currently tied with the Sun for best record in the league at 17-4.
Connecticut’s defense has been its anchor all season, but every loss has come when the offense struggles to keep pace. Bonner is the Sun’s leading scorer averaging 16.9 points per game, but all of the team’s losses have come when the 15-year veteran made fewer than five field goals. Connecticut is 3-4 in games when Bonner shot below 35% from the field.
But the six-time All-Star seems to have ended her slump after her record-breaking performance against the Dream. She scored just 16 points in Connecticut’s home loss to Atlanta on 1-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc, but she went 7-for-9 on Sunday for 23 points. Bonner also put up a season-high 24 points shooting 10-for-16 from the field in a 78-73 win over the Minnesota Lynx on July 4.
“I don’t really ever worry about her, because every time she shoots the ball I think it’s going in,” White said. “I think more than anything, it’s going through those reps to build your confidence, to see the ball go through the net, to believe that every time you shoot it’s going to go in. She looked a little bit more assured when she was shooting it (against Atlanta) instead of hesitant … and that’s what we want from her, because with her size, with her length, she can shoot over most defenders.”
The other centerpiece of the Sun’s offense is position-less superstar Alyssa Thomas, who has logged more triple-doubles in her WNBA career than the next three players on the leaderboard combined. Thomas has still recorded at least a double-double in two of the Sun’s losses, but her assist numbers were below average in all four. Ball movement is foundational to the Sun’s offensive system, and the Liberty logged 27 assists on 31 made field goals in their first win over Connecticut while the Sun had just 17 on 29. The team also struggles when Thomas is more volatile as a ball-handler: She allowed at least five turnovers in three of the losses, and though she didn’t give up any against the Las Vegas Aces on June 21, she struggled in that game with foul trouble, picking up four.
The Sun haven’t won a regular season matchup against the Liberty since July 2022, but New York has looked just as vulnerable as Connecticut. The Liberty enter Wednesday’s matchup off an 83-76 loss to the below-.500 Indiana Fever, and they have also been beaten by the Lynx and the 11-10 Phoenix Mercury in the last three weeks.
“Defensively I feel like we’re a team that — even though as coaches we’ll nitpick, because that’s what we do — I feel like we always give ourselves a chance,” White said. “Our challenge is to continue to improve offensively so that when we get into September, October, we’re playing our best basketball. I feel like over the last three ball games, we’ve taken really big, positive steps in that in that direction.”
How to watch
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Team records: Sun 17-4; Liberty 17-4
Time: 11 a.m. ET, Wednesday
Last meeting: 82-75, New York; June 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena
TV: NBC Sports Boston (local only)
Streaming: WNBA League Pass
