Photo: “Alyssa Thomas” by Lorie Shaull is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Connecticut Sun made a statement in front of their sold-out crowd on Tuesday as they spoiled the highly anticipated WNBA debut of Catlin Clark by defeating the Indiana Fever 92-71.
The leading scorer for the Sun was DeWanna Bonner, who 20 points in the win.
Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double in the victory, as she had 13 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Three other Connecticut players who scored in double-digits were Tyasha Harris (16), DiJonai Carrington (16), and Rachel Banham (10).
After struggling in the first half, the Fever’s Caitlin Clark would find her shot in the second half and end up with 20 points.
The Sun had the advantage in multiple categories in the game, which included rebounds (30-28), assists (20-16), steals (11-6), turnovers (15-25), and points in the paint (32-30).
Connecticut also had the advantage in shooting as well, with the team shooting 48.5 %(32-66) and Indiana shooting 48.0 (24-50). The Sun also bested the Fever from the three-point line, with the team shooting 42.9(9-21) and Indiana shooting 40 % (8-20).
Game Recap:
Connecticut Sun leads by six at the end of the first quarter.
The game would start with the Indiana Fever flying off to a 7-3 start with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter. NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston would have the hot during that run, as the duo scored all seven points.
Caitlin Clark would record her first WNBA assist on the two-point score by Boston.
Fifty seconds later, the Sun would punch back by going on a 16-6 run to end the opening quarter with a 19-13 edge. DeWanna Bonner and Tyasha Harris heated up during this time as the duo scored 13 of the team’s 16 points.
Harris was on fire from the three-point line during that run, as she made three.
The Sun leads by ten at the end of the first half.
Connecticut would continue to widen their lead in the second as the team opened up the quarter by going on a 13-8 run to take an 11-point advantage (32-21).
DiJonai Carrington and Brionna Jones were the leaders on offense during this time, as the duo scored 11 of the team’s 13 points.
After being silenced in the first quarter, the Fever’s Caitlin Clark would score her first two points of her WNBA career at the 5:24 minute mark with a layup to cut the deficit to 32-23.
After that, the Sun’s Carrington and DeWanna Bonner would light it up the rest of the period, as the two scored 13 of the team’s 17 points to give Connecticut a ten-point lead.
Caitlin Clark was known for draining many three-pointers in college, and she hit her first in her pro career at the 30.1-second mark in the second quarter (49-39).
Connecticut leads by eight points at the end of the third quarter.
The Fever would come out in the early minutes of the second half with renewed energy by going on an 8-4 run, as the team sliced the deficit to six points (53-47) with 6:21 left in the third quarter.
Erica Wheeler and Caitlin Clark led the charge during this run, as the duo scored all eight points during that stretch.
Seconds later, the trio of DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Rachel Banham would light up the scoreboard and score ten of the team’s 12 points to give the Sun a 65-57 edge.
The Sun takes home a home 92-71 victory!
Connecticut would expand their advantage in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, as the team would go on a 10-2 run to take a 75-59 lead with 6:37 left in the game. Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner had the magic touch during this stretch, as the duo scored eight of the team’s ten points.
The Sun would outscore Indiana 17-12 for the rest of the fourth quarter to take home a 92-71 victory.
Enjoy the podcast and the writing at Outside the First State. Well, it would be awesome if you could help the site grow by donating to my Ko-fi page!
Outside the First State 