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Sun Close Out Mystics 68-57 for First Back-to-Back Wins of the Season
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- Sun Close Out Mystics 68-57 for First Back-to-Back Wins of the Season
(Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images)
The Connecticut Sun have often lost close games in the final minutes throughout the season, but on Friday night, they finally managed to secure the win.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leïla Lacan scored 12 points apiece, five Connecticut players reached double figures, and the Sun ground out a 68-57 win over the Washington Mystics for their first back-to-back victories of the year.
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Nelson-Ododa grabbed nine rebounds and Lacan added four steals as the Sun (4-15) leaned on defense to overcome a night when neither team could find much offense. Connecticut held Washington to 35% shooting and a season-low 57 points, and surrendered just 26 in the first half, the fewest the Sun have allowed in any half this season.
Kennedy Burke scored 11 off the bench, and Brittney Griner and Charlisse Leger-Walker chipped in 10 each. Leger-Walker and Lacan handed out five assists apiece.
The Sun mostly played without their sick head coach. Associate head coach Roneeka Hodges led the team, won the game, and said the message was about rewriting a familiar script.
"I just reminded them that we've been here before, and this time it was going to be different because our focus was going to be different," Hodges said. "We weren't going to play to lose. We were going to play to win."
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The game remained close until the fourth quarter, with Washington leading 53-52. Then, Connecticut took over. Griner and Leger-Walker scored inside, Leger-Walker made a 3-pointer after Lacan's assist, and Nelson-Ododa and Burke added five more points, increasing the lead to nine.
Nelson-Ododa, who secured a late offensive rebound and scored on the putback, mentioned that the moment held the significance of previous close losses.
"To get that basket at such a crucial point, I was thinking about the streak we want to build, the win we wanted to get, and just closing the game out," Nelson-Ododa said. "My mind also went back to the situations we've been in before, trying to close out games that were definitely winnable for us."
Hodges praised a defense that recorded 12 steals and controlled the tempo.
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"When we do a good job of being the aggressors, getting to the point of the screens, protecting the paint, and finishing possessions with rebounds, I think we can have success," Hodges said.
Georgia Amoore led all scorers with 14 points for Washington (8-9), and Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen added 11 apiece. The Mystics outrebounded the Sun and grabbed offensive boards but could not generate enough clean looks, settling for too many late-clock shots.
"I think we got away from attacking downhill and having multiple outlets. That's always going to hurt us," Amoore said. "We ended up in too many late-clock situations, and that puts a lot of pressure on whoever has the ball to make a one-on-one play."
Washington took a timeout with 1:06 to play, then committed three turnovers down the stretch to seal a second straight loss. The Mystics shot 54% from the free-throw line and were outscored by 16 in the paint.
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Iriafen said the result came down to want-to.
"I think it came down to execution. We didn't execute the way we needed to. We were sloppy, and I felt like Connecticut wanted this game more," Iriafen said.
The Sun host the Dallas Wings on Thursday. The Mystics host the Portland Fire on Sunday.
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