The Connecticut Sun kept their undefeated start going with a 72-65 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
DeWanna Bonner led the way offensively with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-15 from the field. Jonquel Jones (7-for-16) and Brionna Jones (8-for-16), though, were equally impactful with 19 points apiece.
The Sun improved to 5-0 while the Aces fell to 2-2.
Here’s how it went down:
STARTING FIVE
G: Natisha Hiedeman
G: Jasmine Thomas
F: DeWanna Bonner
F: Jonquel Jones
F: Brionna Jones
DEFENSE CLAMPS DOWN
Connecticut allowed just eight first-quarter points and took a 18-8 lead after the first quarter.
Jonquel Jones hit Connecticut’s second 3-pointer of the quarter and it earned the Sun their first double-digit lead, 14-4, just 5:34 into the contest.
Jonquel Jones (seven points) and Brionna Jones (six points) paced Connecticut in the early going.
Las Vegas, on the other hand, shot just 3-for-13 from the field.
ROLL REVERSAL
The Aces exploded on the offensive end by scoring 25 second-quarter points, and not only erased a 10-point deficit, but ultimately took a 33-27 lead into the half.
Las Vegas shot 8-for-14 from the field in the second quarter en route to 41 percent in the first half.
Connecticut, though, was held to single digits in the scoring column (nine second-quarter points) after shooting just 23 percent in the first half (10-for-44).
Jonquel Jones finished the half with a team-high nine points while Brionna Jones scored eight and Bonner complemented with seven.
SUN SNAP BACK
Midway through the third, the Sun put together a 17-0 (!!) run to erase a six-point deficit and ultimately take a 50-39 lead 7:14 into the quarter.
Connecticut went scoreless over the last two minutes, but took a 50-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
Brionna Jones was crucial in the run while scoring eight points in the quarter. Bonner scored 10 points of her own in the third, too.
SUN PULL IT OUT
The Sun held a mere 52-50 lead with six minutes left in the game, before using a mini 8-2 run to create some separation.
Hiedeman and Jonquel Jones each hits 3-pointers during the run, which gave Connecticut a 60-52 advantage.
Connecticut extended that to 67-58 lead with less than two minutes remaining, but Las Vegas made it interesting down the stretch. The Aces trailed by just two points with a 49 seconds left.
Bonner hit a crucial 3-pointer to extend that lead back to five points before hitting consecutive free throws with 22 seconds remaining to put the game away.
Some end of game stats: Connecticut shot 34 percent from the field (27-for-80) and 27 percent from 3-point range (7-for-26). The Sun assisted on 16 of 27 baskets.
Las Vegas shot 41 percent (22-for-54) and 31 percent from long range (5-for-16). Connecticut forced 14 Las Vegas turnovers, as well.
PLAY OF THE GAME
A little high-low action never hurt nobody.
UP NEXT
The Sun will travel to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night with tip scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
