Connecticut Sun superstar Alyssa Thomas rewrote the franchise record book — and nearly logged another triple double — in an 86-66 rout of the Los Angeles Sparks on the road Tuesday, completing the team’s four-game sweep of the Sparks in 2024.
With the first basket of the game for the Sun, Thomas set a new franchise record for made field goals surpassing UConn legend Nykesha Sales. Sales began her WNBA career with the team as the Orlando Miracle before it relocated to Connecticut in 2003 and recorded her 1,481 field goals in just 278 games from 1998-2006. Going 3-for-9 in her 315th game, Thomas now has 1,484 career field goals.
Thomas came just short of a second consecutive triple-double against the Sparks after logging one on Sunday, finishing with seven points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in Tuesday’s win. She also added a steal to her stat line, surpassing Sales a second time to become the Sun franchise leader in career steals with 491.
first sun points going to AT, making her your all-time leader in field goals in Sun history‼️#BringTheHeat pic.twitter.com/Hgj2HZobMi
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 11, 2024
The Sun had a balanced offensive effort early with four of five scorers putting points on the board, but L.A.’s size again proved challenging for the Sun defense. Sparks star Dearica Hamby led her team with six points in the first quarter while rookie Rickea Jackson added 5, and a 7-0 run put Los Angeles up by eight points early. Former UConn standout Azura Stevens also almost single-handedly kept Los Angeles in contention on the boards with nine rebounds to the Sun’s 11 in the first.
But Connecticut began to close the gap in the final minutes of the quarter with back-to-back layups off of steals by Veronica Burton and DiJonai Carrington. Olivia Nelson-Ododa opened the second quarter with the game-tying layup for the Sun, and Marina Mabrey got hot from 3-point range with makes on consecutive possessions. Mabrey’s spark off the bench extended a 15-0 run for the Sun that gave them a three-score lead before Jackson ended the Sparks’ scoring drought more than two minutes into the second.
Mabrey put up 10 points in her first 11 minutes on the court, but it was Brionna Jones who once again fueled the Sun offensively. The All-Star center had a near double-double by halftime with 13 points and seven rebounds, shooting a team-best 6-for-9 from the field. Carrington also got to double digits in the first half with 10 points plus two steals, and 16 of Connecticut’s first-half points came in transition to just four of L.A.’s.
Sparks forward Rae Burrell sank a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the quarter to send L.A. into the locker room with some momentum, but the Sun entered halftime with a 43-32 lead that it extended quickly in the third quarter. Even back-to-back 3-pointers from Stevens and Jackson couldn’t get the Sparks within 10 points of the Sun, and Mabrey answered with her third deep make of the game to kick off a 9-2 run for Connecticut that ended the quarter.
Turnovers remained a concern for the Sun as they have for several games in a row with 13 including five steals by Hamby. However the Sparks were far less efficient with their possessions than Connecticut scoring just 14 points off turnovers, while the Sun converted 15 from L.A. into 22 points.
Mabrey stayed hot from 3-point range in the fourth quarter and finished as Connecticut’s leading scorer with 26 points. She went 9-for-13 from the field and 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, tying her career-high for made 3-pointers. Jones also had an elite performance with 19 points and eight rebounds shooting 9-for-13, marking her fifth consecutive game with at least 15 points.
