Connecticut Sun oust Fever, advance to semis

Sep. 26—MOHEGAN — The Connecticut Sun carried a sense of urgency into Wednesday’s WNBA playoff game, looking to close out the best of three first round series.

On the edge of elimination, the Indiana Fever had desperation on their side.

The combustible combination led to a high intensity, entertaining down-to-the-wire game at a sold-out Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Sun rose to the occasion, as their veterans delivered in the decisive final minutes to pull out a 87-81 victory. After sweeping the series (2-0), the No. 3 Sun will play the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx in the semifinal round. Game 1 in the best-of-five series is Sunday (8:30 p.m.) at Minnesota.

“Our veterans made winning plays…,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “We just did a good job of answering and making shots and getting stops.”

Alyssa Thomas played a hero’s role, finishing with a team-best 19 points, 13 assists and five rebounds.

“This is what I live for,” Thomas said. “Playoffs is what I’m waiting for all season long. That’s my game. I can hit you with scoring, rebounding and assists. In that moment, my team needed me to score and that’s what I went out and did.”

It took a total team effort for the Sun to hold off the Fever and star Caitlin Clark, who finished with 25 points and nine assists to cap a terrific rookie season.

Every time the Sun built a lead, the Fever responded.

Aliyah Boston’s inside basket put Indiana on top 77-75 with 2:04 remaining.

That’s when Connecticut, which has a playoff-tested team, seized control.

DeWanna Bonner (15 points, a team-high eight rebounds) drained a 3-pointer to push the Sun in front for good, 78-77, at the 1:51 mark.

Then Marina Mabrey (17 points), who replaced an injured Ty Harris (ankle) in the starting lineup, buried another 3-pointer for an 81-77 edge with 45 seconds left.

The Sun closed out the game with stingy defense and clutch free throw shooting. Throughout the game, they received valuable contributions from reserves Olivia Nelson-Ododa (eight points, six rebounds) and Veronica Burton (10 points).

They needed every ounce of energy and effort to secure the win.

They overcame a slow start that saw them fall behind by nine in the first quarter and then bolted on an 18-1 run to grab the lead. They led by 41-34 at the break, setting up a fiercely competitive second half.

“I’m proud of our team,” White said. “We came out and got knocked in the mouth, and we responded. We got knocked in the mouth again. And we made winning plays down the stretch. And those winning plays came from lots of different people.

“That’s the thing I’m most proud of, that we got contributions from everybody that stepped foot on the floor. Especially in the fourth quarter, they made plays critical that enabled us to come out with the win.”

Now the Sun will get some time to rest and recover before their next playoff series.

“We’re ready,” Thomas said. “I think we were tested tonight. It wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of the playoffs. We pulled out a gutsy win. But this team is hungry and we’re ready. As you can see, everyone on our bench is contributing as well.

“We’re just having a lot of fun.”

Before the game, DiJonia Carrington received the 2024 WNBA Kia Most Improved Player award during a ceremony. The crowd gave her a rousing ovation.

Carrington was surprised to win the award.

“I definitely didn’t think so,” Carrington said. “Not because I didn’t think I deserved it. Just because Connecticut, we don’t get the love and hype and stuff that I think we deserve and have earned.

” … I have never really won awards before. … So when it did happen, I was super, super surprised.”

g.keefe@theday.com