Connecticut Sun struggle without Brittney Griner in 98-69 loss to Las Vegas Aces

UNCASVILLE — When Brittney Griner was ruled out with a left foot injury before Wednesday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces , it felt impossible for the Connecticut Sun to even put up a fight against the reigning WNBA champions.

The Sun managed to hang with the Aces for a half despite the massive experience gap between the teams, but the young squad fell apart late in its 98-69 loss at Mohegan Sun Arena. The 29-point defeat tied the second-largest home loss in franchise history, and it was also the Aces’ biggest win over the Sun in the history of their series.

“Did we have the resources to win the game? Probably not,” Sun coach Rachid Meziane said. “But to play a better game, we need to understand the game and not just show up and play the game. That isn’t enough, and when you’re playing one of the best teams in the world, every mistake gets punished … I’m not sure that we played hard enough to compete against this team.”

Second-year forward Aneesah Morrow was once again a bright spot for Connecticut, logging her second straight double-double off the bench with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She was the only Sun player to play more than 20 minutes without recording a turnover, and was impactful on the defensive end with a team-high two steals plus a block. Morrow struggled from the field shooting just 4-for-16, but she managed to get to the line consistently and shot 7-for-10 on free throws.

Former UConn standout Olivia Nelson-Ododa , stepping into the starting lineup in Griner’s place, also had a strong night finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists shooting 5-for-7.

But it wasn’t nearly enough to contend with a pair of dominant performances from Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson and reserve guard Chennedy Carter . Carter was electric at both ends of the floor, leading the Aces with 27 points, shooting 13-for-16 from the field and adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wilson, the reigning four-time WNBA MVP, dropped 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting plus 11 rebounds and two blocks.

“They are too fast for us,” Meziane said. “We can always do better, but the level was too high for our young players tonight, and I hope that after playing this game, we are going to learn something and to take good things away from this game.”

Connecticut falls to 0-3 on the season and will look to avenge Wednesday’s loss in a rematch with Las Vegas at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night. Meziane said pregame that Griner is expected to play.

The first quarter was back and forth until the Aces got hot, going on a 13-0 run over a 90-second stretch to break open a double-digit lead fueled by six points from Carter. Morrow finally stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer, and she combined with second-year guard Rivers to outscore Vegas 8-2 over the final two and a half minutes of the quarter.

Early in the second quarter, the Sun were dealt major blow when Nelson-Ododa went down with an apparent lower right leg injury, briefly leaving rookie Raegan Beers — with three fouls — as the team’s only available center. But the Sun managed to keep pace running undersized lineups, getting outscored just 20-18 in the quarter.

“The times we played small ball, I think we had good things, so I want to keep that on my mind,” Meziane said. “That’s something I would like to highlight (going forward).”

It helped that Connecticut got Wilson into early foul trouble, drawing two of the superstar’s three first-half fouls over 13 seconds early in the quarter. Morrow was especially dominant in the second, putting up 10 points and six rebounds to come just shy of a second straight first-half double-double. Rookie guard Gianna Kneepkens also hit a pair of clutch buckets for the Sun, going 2-for-2 from the field while the rest of the team shot a combined 3-for-16.

Connecticut’s defense took a leap in the second quarter, forcing six turnovers against the Aces after creating just one in the first. The Sun also held Vegas to 0-for-4 on 3-pointers in the quarter, though they went 0-for-3 themselves, and both teams entered halftime with a single make from beyond the arc.

Nelson-Ododa returned to the court to start the second half with a brace on her right ankle and scored the first points of the third quarter for the Sun, but the Aces quickly began to pull away. Wilson played all 10 minutes of the third and looked every bit the reigning MVP, putting up 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting and bringing down five rebounds after she entered halftime with six points and four boards.

Las Vegas opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run and never looked back. The Sun were still competing down the stretch, but even with the Aces’ starters off the floor for much of the final frame, the Sun got outscored 20-16. The team finished shooting a dismal 33% from the field and 3-for-13 on 3-pointers, while Vegas hit 54% from the field and 5-for-16 beyond the arc. The Aces dominated in the paint, outscoring Connecticut 58-34 and out-rebounding the home team 46-29.

“We continued to make the same mistakes, shooting bad shots and just just giving them opportunities to score — I mean, 40 points in transition,” Meziane said. “We have some good flashes, but not enough to compete with the best. You cannot allow A’ja Wilson to get the ball in the paint and feel like you can contest her. She’s the best post player in the world, so we need to make her work harder to get out of the paint, take her left hand. These details look probably more simple for me, but they have to be understood by the players.”