Connecticut Sun survive star player’s ejection, win 86-82 over Chicago Sky, Angel Reese

Despite playing the entire fourth quarter without superstar forward Alyssa Thomas, the Connecticut Sun continued its undefeated streak with an 86-82 win over the Chicago Sky.

Thomas, who played 40-plus minutes in the Sun’s previous two games, was ejected with 3:41 remaining in the third period after a foul against Sky rookie Angel Reese was upgraded to a flagrant 2. Thomas went up for a rebound against Reese on the play but appeared to extend her arm into Reese’s neck knocking her to the ground. The 2023 MVP runner-up left the game with nine points, six rebounds and six assists, though she also had a team-high six turnovers.

“I had been talking to the officials, because the physicality on the interior was was getting much more significant than it was in the first half, so you could you could almost sense that something was going to happen,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “Certainly you don’t want to have your MVP off the floor. She was on her way to a triple double. But everybody stepped up, and for us to be successful, that’s what it’s going to take. No matter who’s on the floor, no matter what adversity we go through, we’ve got depth and we’ve got players who can step up and make a big difference.”

The rest of the starting lineup took over with Thomas off the floor, all four finishing with double-digit points. DeWanna Bonner, after starting the game 0-for-5 from 3-point range, hit two in the third quarter including a momentum-killing buzzer beater that kept the Sun up by two points entering the fourth. Bonner finished with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds, going 3-for-9 from beyond the arc.

“We know that she’s so capable of making every shot that I think every shot she takes is going in,” White said. “But particularly in crunch time moments, she hits big shots. I think when AT went down, DB took it upon herself to be that go-to player for us on both ends. She got some big time rebounds. She got some big time defensive stops … She’s 15 years in this league, she’s number five all time scorer, and she continues to find the fountain of youth.”

The Sun (5-0) trailed Chicago (2-2) after the first quarter 24-23 for the fourth time in five games, though it was back and forth early with seven lead changes in the first half. Connecticut battled back to a 36-36 tie midway through the second quarter after trailing by as many as six points, but the Sky answered with a 10-1 run over the final three minutes before halftime to lead 50-42.

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The Sun were held without a made field goal for nearly six minutes of the second quarter, a reflection of its poor shooting performance across the entire first half. The team started just 1-for-7 from 3-point range and hit 40% from the field before halftime, while Chicago shot above 56% at both levels.

“We definitely talk about it every day, every game,” All-Star center Brionna Jones said with a chuckle. “We definitely have to start better, not have to play from behind so often, but I think it’s just a testament to our resiliency and our toughness to find a way to win. It’s not always going to be pretty, but we’re able to execute down the stretch and rely on our experience.”

Jones was again an early standout for Connecticut, logging 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in just eight minutes before halftime. Jones finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes and shot 3-for-3 in the second half. She also led the Sun with two steals.

Dana Evans drained a 3-pointer that put the Sky ahead by one with five minutes left in the game, but Bonner found new energy in the fourth quarter and immediately drew an and-1 in response. Bonner single-handedly scored five unanswered points in 30 seconds to open up a four-point lead for the Sun, but Marina Mabrey nailed a second-chance 3-pointer to make a it one-score game in the final minute. Mabrey led Chicago offensively with 23 points, including four 3-pointers.

Reese forced a turnover against Bonner on a shot-clock violation with 30 seconds remaining, but an off-ball offensive foul against Reese on the following possession sent DiJonai Carrington to the line to hit the game-securing free throw. Carrington ended with 15 points and six rebounds.

“We really did a much better job in the second half on the defensive end of the floor of moving the ball and knocking down shots,” White said. “We struggled a little bit shooting the ball in the first half and thankfully we didn’t let it carry over and we stayed together through some times of adversity … I’m proud of them, and hats off to Chicago. They’re they’re a heck of a team. They battle. They just they keep coming at you, and we’re fortunate to get out of here with a win.”