Sun blaze past Liberty behind Thomas
Alyssa Thomas scored 25 points, DeWanna Bonner posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and the Connecticut Sun cruised past the New York Liberty, 82-65, Saturday in Bradenton, Fla.
Connecticut (6-8) led wire-to-wire and took control with a dominant third quarter. The Sun outscored the Liberty 21-11 in the frame and held New York without a field goal for the final 3:57.
The Liberty (1-12) endured a similar drought to close the first quarter. They made just one field goal over the final 4:46 of the first period.
Connecticut's stifling defense forced 18 turnovers, nine of which came off of steals. Jasmine Thomas had three and Alyssa Thomas, Briann January and Brionna Jones each added two. Jasmine Thomas and January also both scored in double-figures with 16 and 11 points.
The Sun faced their own offensive woes, shooting just 5-of-23 from behind the 3-point line. But thanks to selfless ball movement -- 23 of their 33 made field goals off of assists -- Connecticut generated more than enough offense to complement the defense.
Bonner dished six assists, Jasmine Thomas passed for five and January added four.
New York scored all but one of its field goals off of assists, but the issue for the Liberty was hitting just 20 total baskets. Kia Nurse led New York with 17 points despite shooting 4-of-12 from the floor.
Layshia Clarendon added 12 points, Jazmine Jones scored 11 points, and Kiah Stokes notched 10 points with six rebounds.
Amanda Zahui B posted team-highs of 10 rebounds and five assists, but finished with just six points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Despite the loss, the last-place Liberty received some positive news on Saturday. Rookie sensation Sabrina Ionescu, who has been out since sustaining an ankle injury on July 31, will not require surgery, ESPN's Holly Rowe tweeted prior to Saturday's game.
--Field Level Media
