Alyssa Thomas posted 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists and the Connecticut Sun eliminated the host Los Angeles Sparks from postseason contention in a 93-69 rout on Thursday night.
Connecticut (24-11) never trailed after pulling ahead midway through the first quarter, but a 28-14 third quarter blew the game open.
The Sun held the Sparks to just 26 second-half points, and limited Los Angeles to 41.2 percent shooting from the field — including 5-of-18 from 3-point range — for the game. Connecticut also forced 17 Sparks turnovers, three of which came off of Brionna Jones steals.
Jones played an outstanding game off the bench, scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor in addition to grabbing eight rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike tallied three steals for Los Angeles and was one of only two Sparks to finish in double-figure scoring with 10 points.
Brittney Sykes matched Thomas with the game-high of 18 points, but it was not nearly enough to match Connecticut’s depth. For a second consecutive game against Los Angeles, all 10 Sun players finished with at least two points.
Jonquel Jones recorded 17 points and DeWanna Bonner added 13 for Connecticut.
The Sun bench combined for 33 points, with DiJonai Carrington, Odyssey Sims and Nia Clouden each notching five. Sims also made two steals.
Although Connecticut won, Las Vegas’ win over Chicago earlier in the night locked the Sun into third place for the upcoming postseason. The Aces and Sky — who both lead the Sun by a game — won their head-to-head series against Connecticut in the regular season.
For Los Angeles (13-22), Thursday’s loss added to a disappointing, season-ending slump. It was the Sparks’ eighth defeat in the last nine games and fifth in that stretch by a double-digit point margin.
Katie Lou Samuelson, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Jordin Canada all scored eight points for Los Angeles.
–Field Level Media
