May 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wilson official basketball with WNBA logo goes through the net during the game between the LA Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Brionna Jones scored a season-high 26 points Sunday as the Connecticut Sun won their second game in less than 24 hours, holding off the visiting Seattle Storm 93-86.
Jones shot 9 of 13 from the field and 8 of 13 from the free throw line, and Connecticut improved to 24-8, maintaining the second-best record in the WNBA. Marina Mabrey came off the bench and scored 15 points, while DiJonai Carrington added 14 points and Tyasha Harris scored 13.
Jewell Loyd led Seattle (19-13) with a game-high 27 points, while Nneka Ogwumike added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 16 points and Ezi Magbegor chipped in 13, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Storm’s fifth loss in seven games.
With Jones controlling the zone, the Sun constantly punished Seattle in the paint. They scored a season-high 56 points in the paint and shot 54.2 percent from the field. Connecticut also made more free throws (26) than the Storm attempted (24).
Seattle managed to cut a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to 84-81 with 1:07 left when Ogwumike converted a 3-point play. But Mabrey hit a floater with 47.1 seconds left and the Sun were able to hold the lead from there.
Loyd got off to a fast start in the first quarter with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. However, Connecticut used a 7-0 run in which Harris contributed a 3-pointer and a layup to take a 22-20 lead.
Unlike a team that won Saturday in Washington around 5 p.m. and then started another game 20 hours later, the Sun kept playing and scoring in the second quarter. At one point, they built a nine-point lead and settled for a 42-34 halftime lead.
Jones extended the lead to 55-42 just after the midway point of the third quarter with a short hook shot, but the Storm was able to cut the margin to 65-56 as the period ended.
–Field level media
