Brionna Jones scored 22 points and Alyssa Thomas added 15 points, 14 assists and a key block in the final seconds as the unbeaten Connecticut Sun outlasted the visiting Dallas Wings 74-72 on Friday in Uncasville, Conn.
The Sun (7-0) extended their best start to a season by using a late first-quarter run and then a 11-0 surge in the second to shake off their early doldrums and take charge. Connecticut led by six points at halftime and by 14 late in the third quarter.
Dallas went up 72-69 on a 3-pointer by Sevgi Uzun with 1:20 to play before Thomas’ driving layup 10 seconds later brought Connecticut to within a point.
Thomas put the Sun back in front 73-72 with a layup with 38 seconds left but missed two free throws with 22 seconds remaining that could have extended the lead.
Thomas made amends by blocking Kalani Brown’s jumper on the ensuing possession with 9 seconds left. Uzun missed for the Wings with 5 seconds to play and then had a turnover after the Sun’s Tyasha Harris made a free throw with 1 second remaining.
DeWanna Bonner added 12 points for the Sun.
Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas (3-3) with 21 points while Maddy Siegrist added 17 and Teaira McCowan and Brown had 10 points each.
The Wings were flying high early in the first quarter, soaring to a 21-10 lead after McCowan’s putback layup at the 3:10 mark.
Connecticut finally found its stride, scoring the final eight points of the period to climb back to within 21-18 after 10 minutes of play.
Thomas’ running layup to open scoring in the second quarter punctuated a 10-0 run for the Sun and pulled it to within 21-20. Bonner’s layup with 5:21 to play in the period gave Connecticut a 28-27 lead and was part of an 11-point run that was capped by a three-point play by DiJonai Carrington that stoked the Sun’s advantage to 35-27 with 3:46 left before halftime. Connecticut carried a 40-34 lead into the break.
Ogunbowale led all scorers with 11 points over the first two quarters while Jones paced the Sun with eight points in the half. Dallas outshot the home team 57.1 percent to 46.9 percent.
–Field Level Media
