The Sun are one win away from the playoffs.
Connecticut topped the Indiana Fever 96-77 in a hard-fought victory at IMG Academy at Bradenton, Fla.
DeWanna Bonner led all scorers with 28 points in addition to six rebounds in the contest. Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones recorded 20 points apiece. Kelsey Mitchell (16 points) and Teaira McCowan (15 points) did work for the Fever.
The Sun improved to 9-10 while the Fever fell to 5-14.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Jasmine Thomas
SG: Briann January
PF: Alyssa Thomas
SF: DeWanna Bonner
C: Brionna Jones
SUN START HOT
Connecticut got itself off to a solid start.
Both teams started a bit slow, but the Sun slowly built a double-figure lead midway through the quarter. Connecticut was over the glass and forcing turnovers.
Jasmine Thomas looked solid early, scoring four points and a big block in the first 10 minutes. Alyssa Thomas, meanwhile, notched 10 points in the first quarter alone.
The Sun took a 20-16 into the second quarter.
CONNECTICUT BUILDS ON LEAD
Connecticut maintained its double-figure lead through the first part of the quarter. The Fever trimmed the Sun’s lead to six at one point, but Connecticut managed to bring their lead back up to 10.
Connecticut shot 48.6 percent in the first half.
The Sun entered halftime up 47-37 despite missing all four of their shots from beyond the arc. The Fever shot 39.2 percent from the field.
MORE SUN SUCCESS
Things only went up from there for the Sun.
Connecticut kept its momentum, opening up an 18-point lead late in the quarter. Bonner and Thomas boosted their point totals in the third with 22 and 18 points apiece through three. Brionna Jones also stunned with 16 points.
The Sun shot 51.1 percent from the field in 30 minutes. The Fever went 39.1 shooting.
DONE DEAL
Indiana kept pace with the Sun, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
Indiana’s 17 turnovers helped give Connecticut and edge late in the contest as Connecticut continued to dominate on both sides of the floor. The Sun maintained its dominance through the fourth, with Bonner (26 points), Thomas (20 points) and Jones (20 points) leading the way.
Connecticut ultimately walked away with a 96-77. All 10 Sun players scored points by the end of the game, shooting 51.4 percent from the field along the way.
PLAY OF THE GAME
DO IT.
UP NEXT
The Sun kick off a back-to-back set against the Phoenix Mercury starting Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
