UNCASVILLE – As a Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier hit one incredible shot after another at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, frustrating the Connecticut Sun has become more and more palpable in Defeat 90-81.
After falling to 2-1 in the WNBA semifinals, Connecticut superstar Alyssa Thomas was blunt. She believed that the origin of Connecticut’s difficulties had nothing to do with stratagem or adjustments on the ground; The team just didn’t want it enough.
“We didn’t come to compete. No matter what we were in defensively, you have to look in the mirror,” Thomas said. “At this point, no one is going to give you anything, so if we don’t want to go out there and compete, here’s the bottom line.”
The Sun had more offensive production than in any other game in the series, led by a playoff-high 21 points from All-Star center Brionna Jones. The entire starting lineup finished with at least 13 points, but after holding Minnesota under 80 in every regulation game this year, Connecticut’s stalwart defense crumbled. The Sun had allowed more than 90 points just twice this season, and the Lynx’s 57.4 percent shooting from the field was a Connecticut franchise record for the highest percentage allowed in a playoff game.
Collier, who the Sun held under 20 points in Games 1 and 2, exploded with 26 plus 11 rebounds in Friday’s win. Former Sun guard Courtney Williams, who averaged 11 points per game for the Lynx in the regular season, scored at least 16 in Minnesota’s two semifinal victories.
“The big thing for us is we have to make them make two or three passes to exploit it, not just one, and we weren’t disruptive enough to do that,” Sun coach Stephanie White said . “And (Collier) really got to work. I felt like she was a lot more aggressive in this match, looking for those opportunities, than in matches 1 and 2.
“But the reality is when you’re talking about an MVP caliber player, you’re not going to stop him. You just have to try to make things difficult… but we can’t let everyone go. We have to contain “We can’t allow four players in double figures because they’re too dangerous a team when that happens.”
Thomas and the Sun as a whole have talked all season about the underdog mentality that comes with playing in Connecticut. Even in their Game 2 loss to Minnesota, the team looked hungry. They fought their way back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lynx 21-19 to cut the deficit to seven points at the final buzzer. But upon returning to Mohegan Sun Arena with a chance to take control of the series on Friday, Connecticut played like a completely different team than the one that showed up throughout the postseason.
“We have to realize that we didn’t get here alone,” Thomas said. “We got here as a team by moving the ball and separating people…We’re not going to get over the hump without using each other.” It was a poor presentation of what Connecticut basketball is all about. Running an aggressive defensive plan and only getting three interceptions is unacceptable. We have to go back to the drawing board and we have to play against people who are going to go out and do their job.
The rediscovery of the hard-nosed style that defines Sun basketball begins with Thomas and DeWanna Bonner as the team’s veteran leaders, but the X-factor for Connecticut is undoubtedly Marina Mabrey. The Sun traded for the sharpshooter during the Olympic break in July in hopes that she could be the piece that allowed them to truly contend for a WNBA championship in 2024, and she has more than lived up to those expectations in the playoffs. But even though Mabrey tied her career high with six 3-pointers in the Sun’s Game 1 win over Minnesota, she made just 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. Friday.
Mabrey certainly won’t shoot this poorly twice in a row, but it’s also clear that Sun guard Tyasha Harris, who was the team’s No. 2 3-point threat for most of the season, isn’t still not ready to deal with her habit. workload after suffering an ankle injury in the first round. White said before the game that she felt Harris looked better in practice between Games 2 and 3, but the point guard played just five minutes Friday and struggled uncharacteristically to keep up with the defense. Without a consistent second option, the pressure is on for Mabrey to be near perfect – especially with elimination on the line.
“I think that’s the edge, the competitive spirit, the fire of competition,” White said. “It fits the mentality of this team and this franchise. She’s a competitor and she has a lot of self-awareness, so understanding that the game plan is to be physical with her and she has to be able to respond to that is a big step. The fact that she’s open and willing to do it is another thing. She’s a worker… She wants to get better. Having that mindset and, not just his ability to make shots, but his strong ability to make shots, is important to us.
How to watch
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Team records: Sun. 31-14; Lynx 34-11
Time: 5 p.m., Sunday
Last meeting: 90-81, Lynx; October 4 in Uncasville
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+
