The WNBA’s No. 1 seed and the odds-on favorite to win the Finals has been eliminated by the No. 6 Chicago Sky.
The Connecticut Sun fell 79-69, losing the five-game series 3-1 after their signature defense couldn’t keep up against Candace Parker and her supporting cast of shooters.
Connecticut ends their season at 26-7. Chicago improves to 17-16 and lives on, one step closer to earning a title.
You can see the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Losing All-Defensive First Team starter Briann January to injury proved to be tragic, despite having Alyssa Thomas off the bench. But a tight, seven-player rotation with Kaila Charles was locked up yet again by the Sky.
Jasmine Thomas and Natisha Hiedeman were the only players to reach double digits for Connecticut, and Jonquel Jones had to do it all with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
But all season, defense was the Sun’s bread and butter, and that scrappiness created their offense. In the elimination game against the Sky, their shooting was stagnant and no one could get in a rhythm playing catch up.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Candace Parker came home to Chicago to deliver a championship, and her determination has showed. The WNBA legend flirted with a triple-double, scoring 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
— Courtney Vandersloot was a shooting machine, hitting five 3-pointers and adding 19 points to her four assists.
— Kahleah Copper played aggressive and had one of the best games of her career for Chicago, helping her team extend runs and keep Connecticut just out of reach. She was a huge energy boost, in addition to her 16 points, six rebounds and two assists.
WAGER WATCH
Oddsmakers didn’t think Connecticut would drop a second straight game in this series, favoring them at -180 (bet $180 to win $100) before tip off, per DraftKings Sportsbook. With the Sun the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, we’d imagine a lot of people lost money.
UP NEXT
We’ll see how it plays out for Connecticut in the offseason. The Sky will move on to face the winner of the Phoenix Mercury-Las Vegas Aces series.
