The Connecticut Sun entered Saturday’s matchup with the New York Liberty looking to defend their 9-0 record, the fourth-best start in WNBA history. Sabrina Ionescu and co. — entering Mohegan Sun Arena with a five-game streak of their own—had other plans.
New York burst out of the gate with an 8-0 run in the first quarter, eventually leading 11-2 behind Ionescu’s history-making triple. She became the fastest player to reach 300 career 3-pointers, doing so in just 117 games.
The Sun began to storm back, as Bonner’s triple made it an 11-7 contest with 6:21 remaining in the first. The Liberty pulled away to a 28-18 lead at the end of the quarter. Ionescu led the way with 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
Connecticut went on a 7-0 run to get back within three, with 7:10 left in the second quarter. Guard Tiffany Mitchell converted an and-one layup to knot the game up at 30 with 6:21 remaining. And after trailing by as many as 12 points early on, the Sun took a 32-30 lead off of free throws by Dewanna Bonner. When the game was tied again at 34, Bonner responded with a triple to put Connecticut in front with 3:10 remaining.
The Liberty took a 39-37 lead off of a Jonquel Jones…
