For the first time in franchise history, the Connecticut Sun are out to a 3-0 start to the season.
And with how they looked in a comfortable 86-67 victory over the Indiana Fever on Wednesday, expect a lot more of the same from the Sun this season.
Four players reached double-digit scoring as the Sun recorded a franchise-high 29 team assists, shot well from deep and executed on defense.
That effort started and ended with Natisha Hiedeman off the bench, getting a career-high 19 points with six assists, three steals and three rebounds.
Jonquel Jones had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, including the 700th of her career, with five assists. DeWanna Bonner had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Brionna Jones put up 16 points and five boards.
For the Fever, Danielle Robinson had a team-high 12 points, but a collective 35.9 percent shooting effort wasn’t enough to get it done, and Indiana falls to 0-3 with the loss.
Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
F: DeWanna Bonner
F: Jonquel Jones
G: Jasmine Thomas
G: Briann January
C: Brionna Jones
HIEDEMAN’S STILL HOT
Indiana had the edge off the tip, as Robinson and Mitchell helped the Fever get out to an early 9-2 lead.
Bonner (five points) hit a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding, and Brionna Jones (eight points) helped heal a comeback from there, with points on three straight possessions for Connecticut after that — including the 500th point of her career.
Hiedeman (eight points) came off the bench after starting last game and recording a career-high 17 points. She kept her hot streak alive with a 3-pointer to bring the Sun within two points.
Jonquel Jones (five points) hit a triple and made a layup after that to give Connecticut its first lead of the game, and Hiedeman and Brionna Jones extended it.
Thanks to 66.7 percent shooting from deep, the Sun led the Fever 26-20 at the break.
GOOD FROM DEEP
The Sun continued a phenomenal shooting effort, entering the break shooting 60.6 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from 3-point range, moving the ball well with 18 team assists.
With that, Connecticut extended its lead over Indiana to as many as 22 points, with Jonquel Jones (10 points) and Bonner (nine points) a perfect 2-for-2 from deep.
And for the punch she brought off the bench on offense with 10 points at the break, Hiedeman had the same energy on defense, too.
The Sun led 50-33 at halftime.
RUNNING AWAY WITH IT
By the end of the third quarter, four Connecticut players had reached double-digit scoring as the Sun defense allowed just Robinson (12 points) to amass the same feat.
In addition to her 10 points by the final break, Hiedeman had six assists and two steals.
Jonquel Jones’ 17 points and 11 boards led the Sun entering the fourth, with Brionna Jones (16 points) and Bonner (13 points, seven rebounds) close behind.
Connecticut enjoyed a 67-50 lead after three.
HAND IT OVER TO THE BENCH
With what coach Curt Miller saw from Hiedeman, he handed the game over to the rest of the reserves in the fourth quarter.
And if you’ll believe it, Connecticut proceeded out to a 27 points lead behind a great effort from rookie DiJonai Carrington, who was all over the place on the court on defense.
But this one started and ended with Hiedeman, who tied a career-high 17 points with 3:25 to play. Her 19th point came inside 30 seconds.
The Sun shot 55.2 percent from the field compared to the Fever’s 36.4 percent.
PLAY OF THE GAME
These are the hustle plays that make the difference. So good, we’re showing it twice.
UP NEXT
After defeating the Mercury on Sunday, the Sun will head to Phoenix to face them again Friday and begin a three-game road trip. Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET.
