UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun ended the 2024 regular season with a dominant 87-54 rout of the shorthanded Chicago Sky on Thursday night, clinching the No. 3 seed in the WNBA Playoffs with the victory and eliminating the Sky from postseason contention.
The Sun (28-12) will host rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and the No. 6 Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs looking to make a run back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2022. The first two games of the best-of-three series are at Mohegan Sun, with Game 1 Sunday at 3 p.m. (ABC) and Game 2 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN). If necessary, Game 3 would be Friday in Indianapolis.
The Sky were shorthanded against the Connecticut with just eight available players, and its three biggest stars were all ruled out with injuries. Rookie superstar Angel Reese was out with a broken wrist, while fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso and standout guard Chennedy Carter were late scratches after both entered the matchup with questionable tags.
Point guard Tyasha Harris had the hot hand early against Chicago and finished with one of her best shooting performances of the season going 6-for-9 for a team-high 15 points. She opened the game for the Sun with a midrange jump shot and nailed her first 3-point attempt midway through the first quarter to power a 10-2 run that gave Connecticut an eight-point lead.
Chicago clawed its way back to a 29-29 tie midway through the second quarter as veteran guard Dana Evans put up nine points in less than two minutes. Most of the Sky’s run came with All-Star fowards Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones off the floor as Connecticut attempted to get them some rest before the postseason, but the team quickly reestablished its lead after the duo checked back in with under five minutes left in the quarter. The Sun entered halftime on a 17-6 run that gave them an 11-point lead, and Thomas led the late charge with five points over the final minute.
Thomas was a force on both ends of the floor in the first half, logging 13 points plus four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Center Isabelle Harrison was Chicago’s only player to score more than 10 points before halftime, while Harris joined Thomas with 13 and DiJonai Carrington had six points and eight rebounds.
Connecticut continued to assert its dominance in the second half, outscoring the Sky 23-6 as the guards continued to rain down 3-pointers. Marina Mabrey, who was traded from Chicago to the Sun during the Olympic break in July, sank her first deep shot late in the third quarter to give Connecticut its first 20-point lead of the game. The Sun entered the fourth quarter leading 69-41, ending the third on a steal by Mabrey that she dished to Veronica Burton for a transition 3-pointer.
The Sun rested their starters for the majority of the fourth quarter, and Connecticut’s bench closed out the game in convincing fashion. Former UConn standout Olivia Nelson-Ododa put up a season-high 12 points, and Mabrey added 12 shooting 50% from the field and 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. Six Connecticut players finished with at least 11 points to Chicago’s 3, and the team shot well above its season averages making 50% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.
