The Connecticut Sun are confident every time Alyssa Thomas gets possession of the ball and tries to make something happen.
Thomas is coming off another triple-double as the Sun seek a win Tuesday night when they host the New York Liberty in Uncasville, Conn., in a matchup of two teams off to strong starts.
The Sun (12-3) are on a four-game winning streak that includes consecutive lopsided wins. After posting an 89-68 win at Minnesota on Thursday, the Sun rolled to a 96-72 rout of the visiting Chicago Sky on Sunday.
Thomas totaled 14 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for her fourth regular-season triple-double. It is the most in league history and one ahead of Candace Parker and New York’s Sabrina Ionescu.
Thomas’ latest triple-double occurred during another big game from DeWanna Bonner, who scored 26 points for her fourth 20-point game in the past five contests.
“We feel very confident when the ball is in her hands,” Bonner said of Thomas. “This [record] is a credit to her and her game. It’s not just about passing, but about reading the game. To have that talent and that mindset is rare.”
New York (9-3) has won three straight but struggled to extend its winning streak Sunday. Following double-digit wins over Phoenix and Atlanta, the Liberty needed some late dramatics to secure an 89-88 overtime win against the visiting Washington Mystics on Sunday.
Breanna Stewart converted the go-ahead three-point play with 19.7 seconds left in overtime after the Liberty trailed by 17 in the opening quarter and faced an eight-point deficit with 2:28 remaining in regulation.
Stewart’s game-winning hoop capped a 4-of-17 performance from the floor but the Liberty were carried by Ionescu, who scored 31 points.
“Just having so many weapons, being able to use everyone to help us win is what we did tonight,” Ionescu said. “This was a team effort.”
Stewart leads New York in scoring (22.5) and rebounding (10.4) and Ionescu is second in scoring (17.1) and assists (4.4) and third in rebounding (5.9).
Bonner leads Connecticut with 18.0 points per game while Thomas tops the team with 10.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.
–Field Level Media
