The Connecticut Sun took on the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. These two teams met in the first round of the playoffs last year, with the Sun winning the series 2-1.
While Connecticut kept most of their core players, Minnesota added some players during the offseason. One of those players was Natisha Heideman, who was traded to the Lynx in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell.
Even though the Sun kept the same players, they traded for Marina Mabrey prior to the all-star break so that they had some shooting. Every time these teams met in the regular season, the game always came down to the wire. The results were no different for Game 1.
Game Recap
Marina Mabrey remained in the starting lineup as Ty Harris was still out due to injury. Both teams took turns making shots. The Sun were not going to allow the Lynx to get off to a quick start, while the Lynx were not going to the Sun to play at their usual fast pace.
Momentum started to shift for the Sun at the 2:42 mark when Alyssa Thomas hit a jumper to take the lead. After that jumper, they closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to lead by seven. DiJonai Carrington had seven points in the quarter to lead the team.
Napheesa Collier and Bridget Carleton combined for 14 points of the Lynx’s 16 first quarter points. Everyone else got off to slow starts, which put them in an early hole. Connecticut led by as many as nine before Minnesota started to get their offense going.
They went on a 15-2 run to swing the momentum and take control. The Sun went four minutes without a field goal, not breaking the drought until the 2:52 mark in the second quarter. After that, they closed the quarter on a 10-3 run to retake the lead.
The third quarter showcased both teams taking turns hitting shots and making defensive plays. It was a competitive second half, and it was going to come down to which team or player was going to execute down the stretch.
Connecticut would be the team that executed down the stretch thanks to their defense. A critical play of the game came at the 4:49 mark in the fourth quarter where Dewanna Bonner blocked Collier’s shot attempt. That shot would have put the Lynx up by one.
But instead, Thomas grabbed the rebound off the block, leading to Carrington passing it to Bonner for the bucket. Minnesota’s defense did not make anything easy for Connecticut, but they made some tough shots.
Turnovers and not boxing out stalled the Lynx’s offense. They only scored eight points in the fourth quarter while the Sun scored 16. Collier cut the lead to one with 33 seconds left, but Thomas came back on the other end and hit a jumper to put them up three with 12 seconds left.
Lynx still had a chance to tie the game as they had enough time to get a shot off. Collier’s three point attempt fell short, and the Sun walked away with the win 73-70. They lead the series 1-0. Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, October 1 and air on ESPN2. The game will begin at 9:30pm EST.
Mabrina Mabrey led the Sun with 20 points and hit six threes. She also had five rebounds and three assists. Alyssa Thomas finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. DiJonai Carrington finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Dewanna Bonner finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one block. She passed Lindsay Whalen for the most playoff games played in WNBA history. She is 24 points away from second all-time in playoff points, three steals away from third all-time, and tied with Rebekkah Brunson for third all-time in playoff rebounds.
Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Prior to the game, she was named the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Cheryl Reeve was named the 2024 WNBA Coach of the Year.
Bridget Carleton finished with 17 points on 60 FG%. Kayla McBride finished with 12 points and three assists. Alanna Smith had a quiet night offensively, but recorded eight rebounds and five blocks.
Photo Courtesy: @ConnecticutSun/X