CT Sun Wrap: Sun Start Fast In New York, Defeat Liberty 92-65

The Connecticut Sun defeated the New York Liberty, 92-65, on Tuesday at Barclays Center, their first road victory of the 2022 WNBA season.

The Sun improved to 2-1 with the result, while the Liberty fell to 1-4.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Basketball is a game of runs, or in the case of Tuesday’s game, just one run.

After New York raced out to a 10-2 lead just three minutes into the first quarter, Connecticut went on a 27-5 run over the next 10 minutes, and never looked back.

Connecticut sparked their run with some superb defense, forcing a franchise record 20 turnovers in the first half, including 11 steals. They would finish the night with 32 forced turnovers, just one shy of the WNBA record.

DeWanna Bonner and Courtney Williams returned to the starting lineup for Connecticut, and their play was a good representation of the Sun’s as a whole. The duo was slow starting, combining for zero points and two turnovers in the first quarter on 0-for-4 shooting, but finished with a combined 20 points on the night.

The Sun lead by 34 points at one point in the third quarter, their largest advantage in the last five seasons. Their 42 points off the bench was the biggest number in franchise history.

Unlike their season opener against New York, Connecticut was able to parlay a run into sustained success throughout a buzzer-to-buzzer victory.

STARS OF THE GAME
— DeWanna Bonner made her presence felt in a big, big way, finishing with 16 points, three assists and four steals in her season debut.

— Natisha Hiedeman filled up the stat sheet off the bench for Connecticut. She had eight points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in the first quarter, and finished with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

— Brionna Jones was big off the bench, scoring 14 points in relief of Jonquel Jones.

WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set Connecticut’s team total at 73.5 on Friday, a number that they surpassd before the start of the fourth quarter. At -110 odds, a $100 bet would have payed out $190.91.

UP NEXT
The Sun host the Indiana Fever on Friday in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN+.