Sun claim 2nd conference crown
UNCASVILLE, Conn. Aug. 14 – Just call them champions – again. For the second straight year, the Sun have captured the WNBA’s Eastern Conference regular season championship. Nykesha Sales scored 17 points and the Sun held off a late Washington rally to beat the Mystics, 80-77. With five games to go, Connecticut (23-6) is two wins shy of the Eastern Conference record of 25 set by Detroit in 2003.
But more importantly, Connecticut (12-1 at home) kept its two-game lead over Sacramento for home court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs. Three mores wins by Connecticut will clinch home court thanks to its sweep of Sacramento in the regular season.
The Sun had six players in double figures, including Lindsay Whalen who added 16 points. Connecticut led 69-50 with 5:10 left after Whalen sank a basket but Washington went on a 17-1 run to cut the lead to three, 70-67, with 1:31 to go on a Chasity Melvin jumper. The Sun lead 79-75 when Sales lost the ball out of bounds with 16 seconds left and Delisha Milton-Jones made a layup with three seconds to play. Taj McWilliams-Franklin was fouled a second later but split a pair of free throws, giving Washington a chance to tie. Milton-Jones could not connect on a clean look at a 3-pointer.
HONORED: Katie Douglas was named WNBA Player of the Week for Aug. 7-13. She led the Sun in points (22) and rebounds (8) in a win over Los Angeles, had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in a win over Washington and finished the week with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in a win over Washington at home.
Keep on rolling
Sun have too many weapons in win over Mystics
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 – Playing without Margo Dydek, who is playing three games with the Polish National Team trying to qualify for the world championship tournament, didn’t slow the Sun in a 80-65 win over the host Mystics. Connecticut (22-6) received a game-high 20 points from Nykesha Sales and 15 points and 11 rebounds from Taj McWilliams-Franklin. In her first start of the season, Ashja Jones had 15 points. She was one of five Sun players in double figures. "It's hard to guard us because we have so many threats," Sales told The Associated Press. "You shut down one player and you have three more to worry about. Most teams can't say that." Katie Douglas added 14 while Lindsay Whalen scored 12 for Connecticut, which has won seven of its last eight games. Alana Beard led Washington (14-13) with 18 points.
Sun can’t shoot but still prevail
Defense sparks win over L.A.
UNCASVILLE, Conn., Aug. 9 – The Sun shot just 32.8 percent from the floor Tuesday night – its second worst offensive performance of the season. They still won by 13 in a 64-51 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Sparks. Connecticut (21-6) held the Sparks to a season-low 30.3 percent shooting performance and limited Chamique Holdsclaw, the WNBA's leading scorer (18.0), to a season-low five points.
Katie Douglas had a season-high 22 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Sun, who won for the ninth time in the last 11 games. Nykesha Sales had 16 points while 7-foot-2 Margo Dydek (6 points, 7 rebounds) was a menace in the middle, frustrating Sparks All-Star Lisa Lesile (20 points). “It just wasn’t me or Brooke (Wyckoff),” Douglas said of the Sun’s defensive effort. “It was all five of us talking, helping and rotating. That has been our philosophy all year – team defense. The trademark of our team has been our unselfishness.”
“I like how we are playing defense,” Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “When you can win a game shooting 33 percent, it says we are doing a few things right. We’re playing really hard.” Connecticut opened up an early 12-point lead before Los Angeles (12-14) cut the lead to three with 6:02 left in the first half. But Thibault put Dydek back in the game and the Sparks committed four straight turnovers. Dydek had four points in a quick 6-0 surge as Connecticut reasserted itself.
“They have good chemistry, very unselfish,” Lesile said of the Sun. “They are a basketball team that you would love to play on because they just play within their offense. Sometimes they are not even running anything. They are just driving, kicking and moving the ball. That’s basketball.” The Sun finished the regular season 13-1 against the Western Conference. Lesile had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the visitors but got little help. Mwadi Mabika finished with seven.
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
A tough chin
Sun stifle late Liberty rally to earn record 19th victory
NEW YORK, Aug. 3 – The Sun were staggering a bit after Detroit showed them up on their home court last Saturday. But despite nearly squandering a 13-point lead in the second half, the Sun remained confident after solidifying its effort down the stretch in a 72-65 win over the Liberty at Madison Square Garden before a smaller-than-usual crowd of 9,498. It gave the Sun (19-6) a franchise record 19th win.
Katie Douglas had 11 of her 18 points in the second half including a 3-pointer with 1:22 left that took the steam out of the Liberty’s surge. All-Star guard Becky Hammon (17 points) cut the Sun lead to one, 55-54 with 3:24 left on a layup. But Connecticut’s Lindsay Whalen made consecutive layups to stretch the lead to five and after New York’s Crystal Robinson hit a foul shot, Douglas nailed her 3-point shot.
It was a fine effort for Douglas, who was ice cold in last Saturday’s loss to Detroit (3 points, 1-of-10 from the floor). Nykesha Sales had 14 points, 11 in the first half while the Sun were led by Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who had 19 points and seven rebounds. New York (12-12) was led by Hammon.
Shocking defeat
Deficit too much for Sun in 3rd loss of the year to Detroit
UNCASVILLE, Conn., July 30 – This time, the hole that the Connecticut Sun dug for themselves was too deep. And Detroit’s Deanna Nolan and Plenette Pierson made sure the Sun weren’t going anywhere. Detroit led by 11 at the half and built a lead as high as 16 points before surviving a late Sun rally to take home a hard-earned 75-66 win at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Nolan had a game-high 19 points, including in the second half while Pierson had 17 points off the bench. The Sun (18-6) shot a season-low 16-for-59 (27.1), which was the 2nd lowest shooting performance in team history.
Twice in the final three minutes, Connecticut reduced the lead to three. After Taj McWilliams-Franklin sank a pair of foul shots with 2:55 to go, Nolan hit a smooth jumper in the lane to push the lead to five. With 2:22 left, Margo Dydek sank two free throws but at the other end Pierson got free from the defense and drove the baseline to again extend the lead to five. With 1:40 left, Cheryl Ford’s drive between two defenders for a basket was a crushing blow.
But the seeds for this defeat were sown in the first half as Connecticut shot just 8-for-33 from the floor and trailed by 11, 30-19. Earlier this week, the Sun rallied from 10 down at the half to beat New York but Detroit (9-12) remained tough early in the second half extending its lead to as much as 16 points. A 15-2 run on the backs of some tough defense lifted Connecticut back into the game but it wasn't enough.
"I think our heart played a role today," Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said. "We really played hard from start to finish." Sun coach Mike Thibault shrugged his shoulders. "I think 27 percent from the floor covers it. We had a bad offensive game. We had some good open looks and we didn't make them," he said.
The win snapped Connecticut’s 15-game winning streak at home and handed the Sun its first loss of the season at home. Detroit has won three of four games against the Sun this season. Margo Dydek led the Sun with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. McWilliams-Franklin had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Lindsay Whalen had 12 points but was just 1-of-8 from the floor. Nykesha Sales, Whalen and Katie Douglas were a combined 2-of-18 from the floor.
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Playing with an edge, Sun roll
UNCASVILLE, Conn., July 26 – The Sun may be undefeated at home and have the best record in the league. But they are playing with something to prove. Facing its closest rival in the Eastern Conference, Connecticut came up with an impressive 68-55 victory over Indiana before 5,711 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Sun (17-5) extended their lead in the East to 3½ games by limiting the Fever to 33.3 percent shooting and blocking nine shots. The Fever were just 4-of-17 from 3-point range and never cut the lead lower than seven in the second half. “We mixed up our defenses. We were playing a zone and not letting them get to a lot of their easy pick-and-rolls and post-ups that they like to run,” Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “We let Margo (Dydek) patrol the paint.”
Dydek had seven points but blocked five shots and tied a season-high with 12 rebounds. “When you put her in the middle of the zone, in front of the rim, she makes people change their shots,” Thibault said. “Her outlet passes started some fast breaks for us and we were able to get out and run.” A 17-2 run late in the first half broke open the game.
Nykesha Sales led all scorers with 19 points, including 13 in the first half. Lindsay Whalen had 13 points including a career-high 4-for-4 performance from 3-point range. Katie Douglas added 13 points for the Sun, now 9-0 at home, where they've won 14 in a row at home dating back to last year. Connecticut hosts New York on Thursday and then Detroit on Saturday. And like Indiana, the Sun lost to both teams the last time they played.
For Indiana, Tully Bevilaqua scored 13 of her career-high 19 points in the second half while All-Star Tamika Catchings finished with 13 but was 3-of-12 from the floor.
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Second half surge carries Sun
UNCASVILLE, Conn., July 22 – After a brutal road trip with back-to-back games with noon starts and traveling on commercial flights like the rest of us, the Sun landed at home Friday to face the Charlotte Sting. But the lowly Sting didn’t make things easy. It took a 19-4 surge in the second half for Connecticut to escape with a 73-63 victory before 6,571 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Nykesha Sales led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds, scoring 17 points in the second half as the Sun (16-5) improved to 8-0 at home. Charlotte (3-17) opened the second half with a 13-7 run to take a six-point lead with 15:13 left. But Sales had nine points in a 24-8 run that gave the Sun a nine-point lead with 7:44 left. Ashja Jones contributed with eight of her 12 points in the second half. Lindsay Whalen had 14 points and Katie Douglas added 12. Next up for the Sun is a home game with second place Indiana (12-7) on Tuesday at home.
Sun scorch Lynx
MINNEAPOLIS, July 17 – If the offense doesn’t get you, then the defense will. The Sun looked sharp Sunday night as they improved to 12-1 against the Western Conference with a dominating 73-53 victory over Minnesota to open a three-game road trip. Margo Dydek had a season-high 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to lead the Sun (14-4). Nykesha Sales added 12 points, seven rebounds and tied a career-high with three blocks.
“All five of us try to run, push it up the floor and take their legs out,” said Connecticut’s Katie Douglas, who had 14 points. “It was a total team defensive effort.” Douglas helped limit Minnesota’s Katie Smith to just 11 points and none in the final 30 minutes of the game. The Lynx shot a season-low 29 percent from the field, forced 15 turnovers and had just 23 points in the second half.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 10 for the Sun, who had a 12-2 run to seize control in the first half and a 17-1 second half run to ice the contest. Connecticut coach Mike Thibault earned his 50th career victory.
Sun prevail in final minutes
UNCASVILLE, July 15 – For the first time this season in the waning minutes of a contest, the Sun were tested. Houston had nearly erased an 11-point lead but each time, they looked to move in front, Connecticut responded. Three times in the final four minutes, Ashja Jones (14 points) hit a key basket to extend a one-point lead to three. And the Sun allowed Houston just one field goal in the final 3:32 as they snapped a two-game losing streak with an impressive 70-66 victory at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
This was a contest of wills between two teams with championship aspirations and the Comets had their chances. Trailing by one, All-Star Game MVP Sheryl Swoopes put up a tough shot with 36.9 seconds left between two Sun defenders but Taj McWilliams-Franklin outwrestled Michelle Snow for a crucial rebound. At the other end of the floor, McWilliams-Franklin took a nice feed down low and scored with 11.3 seconds left for a 69-66 Sun lead. She was fouled but missed the foul shot, setting up one last chance for Houston. However, Janet Arcain’s three-point shot from the top of the circle was off and the Sun (13-4) gathered in the rebound for the win.
Connecticut’s Nykesha Sales scored 11 of the Sun’s first 13 points of the second half as the Sun opened up an 11-point lead. Sales finished with a game-high 22 points. Whalen added 14 points. “In the last two games, we didn’t have that same edge and we needed to play with an edge defensively,” Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “We played with better poise. We played defense like we did in the playoffs last year. It’s a huge win for us.”
Connecticut improves to a stellar 11-1 against Western Conference foes, erasing the stain of recent losses to New York and Indiana, where the Sun had a franchise record 24 turnovers.
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Swoopes leads an All-Star rout
UNCASVILLE, Conn., July 9 – Houston’s Sheryl Swoopes had 11 of her 15 points in the first half as the Western Conference All-Stars rolled to a record-setting 122-99 victory over the East Saturday before a sellout crowd of 9,168 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Swoopes, a two-time league MVP, was named the game’s MVP. “This one is more special to me because I think a lot of people have forgotten who Sheryl Swoopes is,” she said. “I think a lot of people are trying to force me out the door but I’m not quite ready to do that yet. For me to win an MVP with that type of talent on the floor means a lot.”
The West set a record for most points scored, most points in a half (52), most 3-point goals (12) and most pointed allowed. Ten players from the West scored at least eight points and seven in double figures led by Minnesota’s Katie Smith (16), Swoopes, Los Angeles’ Chamique Holdsclaw (14) and Seattle’s Sue Bird (14).
The game was tied at 36 with five minutes left in the first half but the West went on a 16-7 run highlighted by Phoenix’ Diana Taurasi (10 points) draining a deep 3-pointer from the corner with 5.2 seconds left and Sacramento’s Yolanda Griffin (12 points, 14 rebounds) blocking Washington’s Alena Beard with 2.2 seconds left.
Detroit’s Deanna Nolan led the East with a record-tying 20 points while Indiana’s Tamika Catchings and New York’s Becky Hammon each added 18. Connecticut’s Nykesha Sales had an All-Star career high 11 points in her record sixth All-Star appearance while teammate Taj McWilliams-Franklin added eight.
Los Angeles’ 6-foot-5 Lisa Lesile slammed down a dunk with 17.1 seconds left while Detroit’s 6-foot Deanna Nolan missed two dunk attempts in the final minute. “What fun that was,” West coach Anne Donovan said. “You’ve got the best players in the world out there competing. You’ve got a lot of points on the board. You’ve got rebounds and you’ve got a dunk. What more could you want? It was a great experience.”
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Fun, relaxation in All-Star prep
UNCASVILLE, Conn., July 8 – There were no wind sprints during these practice sessions. Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi invited fans out of the stands to shoot jump shots. She even laid a $100 bill behind the three-point line and challenged 8-year-old Jordan Swoopes, the son of West All-Star Sheryl Swoopes to hit a shot.
It was that kind of day during open practices Friday in preparation for the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game. “There is no pressure,” West coach Anne Donovan of Seattle said. “It’s the one game of the year when there is no pressure.” Of course, the West does have a five-game winning streak and the East is looking to win its first All-Star game ever. The game is a sellout and will be televised nationally on ABC (WTNH, Ch. 8) beginning at 4 p.m.
The Sun (12-3) will be represented by Nykesha Sales in her seventh All-Star appearance and Taj McWilliams-Franklin, making her fifth appearance. Sun head coach Mike Thibault and his staff will coach the East. Former UConn stars Swin Cash (Detroit), Taurasi and Sue Bird (Seattle) will also be on the floor. Taurasi and Bird will play in the backcourt for the West.
“I tell the players to be unselfish, have fun, enjoy the experience and put on a good show,” Thibault said. “They don’t need to play one-on-one. They have already proven themselves by being selected to play in this game.” Cash will be playing in just her third game of the year after missing most of the first half of the season rehabilitating her knee. Bird won the WNBA All-Star Challenge and $15,000 to go to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Bird beat out eight other All-Stars on a timed course that tested her dribbling, passing and shooting skills.
And the case of Jordan Swoopes. He missed his first shot but quickly grabbed another ball, drained the 3-pointer and celebrated with his beaming Mom, her teammates and the few hundred fans cheering. Taurasi gave him $20 for hitting the second shot.
-- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Sun look like a champion in rout
Serio: "It's their championship to lose at this point"
UNCASVILLE, Conn., June 30 – Keep your eyes on this team, Connecticut. You could be watching a WNBA championship team in the making. The Sun toyed with Minnesota in a 71-56 victory at the Mohegan Sun Arena to improve its league-best record to 12-2. The Sun led 14-2 after five minutes and once the Lynx cut the lead to one later in the first half, the Sun simply ran away again with a 14-3 run.
Nykesha Sales led the Sun with 18 points while Lindsay Whalen added 15 points, six assists and seven rebounds. Katie Douglas had 12 points. The Sun limited Katie Smith, who came in averaging 16.9 points, to 11 points and held Nicole Ohlde (11.4 ppg) to just eight. Minnesota (8-7) had just 11 offensive rebounds while the Sun ripped down 25 defensive rebounds to end the Lynx’s modest two-game winning streak.
“They have great chemistry and their execution is very good. Their unselfish and move the ball well,” Lynx coach Suzie McConnell Serio said. “They are the best team in the league right now. It is their championship to lose at this point.”
Whalen looked superb. With 11:51 left in the first half, she drove down the left side of the court, dribbled behind her back and flipped a one-handed pass to Douglas on the left wing. Douglas took a dribble and fired it back inside to Whalen in lane for a pretty layup. Whalen capped off the first half sneaking in all alone for a loose rebound in the lane off a missed three-point shot with 21 seconds left to boost the Sun’s lead to 12.
“She is doing a lot of great things,” Sales said. “Her mindset is a lot different that it was last year. She is being more aggressive scoring points, getting the fouls and getting the ball up the floor.”
--- GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
