It proved to be a rough trip to the Northeast for the Lynx.
Minnesota had its win streak halted at eight Tuesday by the Sun, who notched a 12-point W at Mohegan Sun Arena. Connecticut once again protected home court Thursday, as it collected a 82-71 victory over the Lynx.
DeWanna Bonner logged a season-high 31 points, as well as her first double-double since June 22 with 11 rebounds. Fellow Sun forward Jonquel Jones wasn’t far behind with 20 points to go along with seven boards.
Minnesota had three players score in double figures: Sylvia Fowles (18), Layshia Clarendon (15) and Napheesa Collier (11). But it still wasn’t enough to get back in the win column.
With the win, the Sun improved to 17-6, while the Lynx dropped to 13-9.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Jasmine Thomas
SG: Briann January
SF: DeWanna Bonner
PF: Jonquel Jones
C: Brionna Jones
SLIGHT EDGE
The Sun came out of the gate fairly strong but struggles filed in as the Lynx buckled down on defense, especially in the interior. Both sides went scoreless over the final 1:46 of the first quarter, which concluded with Connecticut owning a 17-14 lead.
Jonquel Jones led all scorers in the opening frame by a three-point margin with seven, while Brionna Jones added four to go along with three rebounds.
Minnesota was paced by Clarendon and Fowles, both of whom contributed four points in the first. The Lynx as a team struggled from the field, posting a 35.7 shooting percentage over the opening 10 minutes.
LYNX LIMIT DAMAGE
Connecticut came out firing and amassed its first double-digit lead — an 11-point advantage — at the 7:30 mark in the second. But Minnesota didn’t allow the home team to open the floodgates, as it stood the course and trimmed the Sun’s lead to six at the break.
After a quiet first quarter, Bonner heated up in the second with nine. Connecticut also received a boost off the bench, as Natasha Heideman notched six points in the second on a pair of 3-pointers.
Collier gave the Sun some trouble in the second to the tune of seven points.
BREATHING ROOM
It looked like we were going to see déjà vu in the third. The Sun picked up a 12-point lead — their largest of the game at that point — with a shade under five minutes to play in the quarter, only to watch the Lynx go on a quick rally and cut it to seven at the 3:44 mark. But Minnesota didn’t score another point for the remainder of the frame, which allowed the Sun to own a 62-48 lead heading into the fourth.
Bonner once again led the way for Connecticut with eight in the third, while Jonquel Jones added five.
All but two of the Lynx’s 12 points in the quarter came from Clarendon and Kayla McBride.
CALM, COOL, COLLECTED
The Lynx put the pressure on the Sun in the fourth, but Connecticut managed to maintain a lead of seven-to-10 points for the bulk of the quarter. That was until Minnesota made things a little interesting with 1:39 to go when Bridge Carleton knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Sun’s lead to five.
But Connecticut kept its composure and knocked down all six of its free throws over the final 1:28 of the contest. A Brionna Jones jumper with seven seconds to go was the final dagger.
UP NEXT
The Sun continue their homestand Tuesday when they host the Las Vegas Aces. Tip-off from Mohegan Sun Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET.
