Jun 10, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White watches from the sideline as they take on the Indiana Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
DiJonai Carrington scored 19 points Tuesday night in the WNBA opener in Boston as the Connecticut Sun used a late 14-0 run to rally past the Los Angeles Sparks 69-61.
Brionna Jones added 15 points for Connecticut (20-7), which overcame a poor shooting performance to stay 3 1/2 games behind league-leading New York Liberty. Tyasha Harris added 14 points, while Alyssa Thomas filled the stat sheet with nine points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson each scored 14 points for Los Angeles (6-22), which started the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run and led 59-55 with 4:15 remaining after a three-point play by Dearica Hamby.
Hamby’s points were the last for the Sparks until Jackson made two meaningless free throws with 12.4 seconds left to set the final score. Thomas put the Sun ahead for good with a three-point play at 3:21, followed by a Carrington layup and a Marina Mabrey jumper.
Connecticut won despite shooting just 38.4 percent from the field and being outrebounded 42-36. Los Angeles committed 22 turnovers that resulted in 20 Sun points.
In front of a sellout crowd of 19,125, Los Angeles scored the first five points of the game before Connecticut went on a 15-4 run, leading by six on Carrington’s layup midway through the first quarter. The Sparks finished the period on an 11-2 run for a 20-17 lead on Li Yueru’s layup as time expired.
The Sun improved their defense in the second quarter and found a rhythm on offense as well: Jones contributed a pair of baskets and fed Carrington for another basket. After Harris hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, Connecticut went into the break with a 41-35 lead.
Neither team did much on offense in the third quarter, and combined for just 23 points. Turnovers hurt the Sparks and poor shooting kept the Sun from pulling away. DeWanna Bonner’s two free throws with 52.7 seconds left made Connecticut’s lead 53-46 heading into the fourth quarter.
–Field level media
