Sun fall just short against Liberty

Jul. 10—MOHEGAN — Competitive fires burn scorching hot when the Sun and Liberty meet.

It’s understandable considering Connecticut and New York own the two best records in the WNBA this season.

There was a playoff intensity to the most recent matchup on Wednesday — an 11 a.m. tip for Camp Day — at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Sun staged a valiant comeback from a 14-point deficit, briefly seizing the lead with about two minutes remaining before faltering in the game’s crucial moments in a 71-68 loss before 8,910 fans.

New York (18-4) moved into sole possession of first place in the East. Connecticut is second at 17-5.

“It’s a tough one,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “I felt like we dug ourselves a hole early, we fought back, and on both ends of the floor didn’t make enough plays to come away with it. Against the top teams, it’s gotta be consistency and execution for 40 minutes. There wasn’t enough of that on our end and they made one or two more plays that allowed them to come away with the win.”

The Sun have lost six straight regular season games to the Liberty, including both meetings this season. They fell 82-75 at home on June 8.

Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (21 points, five rebounds, five assists) delivered the game’s two biggest baskets. She converted a runner in the lane to put her team up for good at 69-68 with 1:58 remaining and then hit a contested shot-clock beating, driving shot with four seconds remaining to extend the lead to three.

The Sun called timeout to set up a potential game tying shot.

But Ionescu blocked Ty Harris’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

“We didn’t get the shot we wanted,” White said. “We had a couple of different looks at a 3-point shot that we wanted to get and they took away one of the reads and we weren’t able to get to it.”

Behind the inspired play of Ionescu and former UConn great Breanna Stewart (18 points, 14 rebounds), the Liberty rode a hot start to a 29-19 edge in the first quarter. They made 12 of their first 17 shots. Crisp ball movement generated open shots.

Connecticut, one of the league’s best defensive teams, responded with a much better effort in the second quarter, allowing only 10 points. The Sun closed the half with a 10-0 run to close the gap to 39-38.

“You play with pride and you gave a team 29 points and they shot 70 percent in the first quarter,” White said. “I felt like our attention to detail was a little better.”

The Sun continued to trail until deep into the fourth quarter.

DeWanna Bonner‘s 3-pointer with 3:48 remaining handed the Sun their first lead (66-65) since the opening minutes of the game.

From that point on, every possession was critical.

DiJonia Carrington’s driving basket put the Sun ahead for the final time at 68-67 with 2:10 left. It would be the Sun’s final points.

Ionescu took charge, and the Sun walked off the court with another difficult loss to the Liberty, which converted 49.1 percent from the field. Connecticut shot 35.8%, its second lowest in a game this season.

Bonner scored at least 20 points for the third straight game, contributing 22 along with nine rebounds. Brionna Jones finished with 17 points and eight rebounds while Alyssa Thomas (three points on 1 for 4 shooting from the field) had her lowest scoring total since 2020 but chipped in nine rebounds and eight assists.

Credit Stewart’s defense.

“There are certain match-ups that are tough and Stewie is one of them,” White said. “She’s got the long wing span and it makes it really, really hard.”

Connecticut will get one more shot at New York before the Olympic break, traveling to New York on Wednesday.

Expect another fierce battle.

“It’s just two great teams going against each other,” Brionna Jones said. “When you’re playing the best of the best every night, it’s going to be a heated game. We want to win and leave it all out on the floor. And it goes both ways on both sides.”

The Sun play another home game on Sunday, hosting Phoenix at 1 p.m.

g.keefe@theday.com