Alyssa Thomas collected 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals to fuel the host Connecticut Sun to a convincing 93-73 victory over the Seattle Storm on Thursday in Uncasville, Conn.
Thomas made 7 of 11 shots from the floor as the Sun (13-5) benefited from a sizzling first-half performance to snap a modest two-game losing streak.
DeWanna Bonner recorded 16 points and seven rebounds for Connecticut, which shot a robust 54.0 percent from the floor (34-of-63) and 69.2 percent from 3-point range (9-of-13). The Sun made 16 of 17 shots from the foul line and also held a 19-13 edge in fast-break points.
Tiffany Hayes, Rebecca Allen and Natisha Hiedeman each scored 14 points as the Sun defeated the Storm for the second time this season. Connecticut held on for an 85-79 victory over Seattle on June 20.
Storm star Jewell Loyd overcame a slow start to finish with 22 points. Former UConn star Kia Nurse added 11 for Seattle (4-13), which has lost four in a row for the first time since opening season with four straight setbacks (May 20-June 3).
Connecticut seized control at the onset of the game, including a stretch in which it scored 19 consecutive points to secure a 24-4 lead. Thomas led the way with 11 points and the Sun notched a franchise high-tying 11 assists in the first quarter to claim a 29-6 advantage.
The second quarter saw more of the same for Connecticut, which saw Bonner (13), Allen (11) and Hayes (10) join Thomas (13) in double-digit scoring to help the team seize a 57-24 lead at halftime. The Sun’s point total represented a season high for a half.
Seattle scored the first seven points of the third quarter to cut into its sizable deficit. Connecticut clamped down and ultimately pushed its lead to 35 at the end of the quarter.
Sun guard DiJonai Carrington sat out the game due to an illness.
–Field Level Media
