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WNBA Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun Hold off Atlanta Dream, 86-78

July 22, 2023 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release


Atlanta, GA - Today, the Connecticut Sun (17-6) defeated the Atlanta Dream (12-10), 86-78, for the second time in three days.

The Sun was led by DeWanna Bonner who tallied 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win.

1Q- Connecticut opened the contest on a 9-0 run forcing Atlanta into a timeout with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter. Natisha Hiedeman had three points, while Rebecca Allen, Tiffany Hayes and Bonner each had two on that opening run. The Sun held the Dream without a field goal until the 5:11 mark in the first. Connecticut finished the quarter on a 21-16 run to take a 30-16 lead into the second. Atlanta scored 13 of their 16 points at the free throw line, going only 1-13 (7.7%) from the floor in the first.

2Q- The Sun outscored the Dream, 14-8, to open the second, pushing their lead up to 20, 44-24, with 5:07 remaining in the first half. Hiedeman had six of Connecticut's 14 on that stretch, connecting on two three-point field goals. The Dream rattled off a quick 4-1 run, prompting the Sun to take a timeout with 2:42 remaining in the second, 45-28. The Dream continued their run, scoring seven straight out of that timeout to cut the Sun's lead to 10, 45-35, with 42.9 seconds left in the first half.

After leading by as many as 20 in the first, Connecticut led Atlanta, 45-38, at the half. Atlanta finished the first half on a 13-0 run, holding Connecticut scoreless for the final 3:44 of second quarter. Bonner led the Sun with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the first half. The Sun shot 45.7% (16-35) in the first half, while holding the Dream to 22.6% (7-31). The Dream scored 22 of their 38 points from the free-throw line in the first.

3Q- The Dream opened the second half on an 8-2 run to cut the Sun's lead to one, 47-46, with 7:29 to go in the third. Connecticut finished the third on a 20-8 run to push their lead back up to 13, 67-54, heading into the fourth. Hiedeman and Hayes led the Sun in scoring with six third-quarter points each, while Bonner added five.

4Q- The Sun began the fourth quarter outscoring the Dream, 8-6, to push their lead up to 15, 75-60, with 5:49 to go in the contest. The Dream went on a 9-5 run to close the gap to 11, 80-69, with 2:50 remaining in the fourth. Atlanta outscored Connecticut, 9-6, the rest of the way, but Connecticut was able to take home the 86-78 win. Alyssa Thomas had six points to lead the Sun in the closing ten minutes.

Atlanta was led by Rhyne Howard who tallied 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks.

Connecticut shot 43.9% (29-66) from the floor while holding Atlanta to 30.4% (21-69) from the field on the day.

Sun Notes:

Alyssa Thomas finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Natisha Hiedeman tallied 15 points, going 5-8 from beyond the arc. She also added two rebounds, three assists, one steal and a career-high two blocks.

With one three-point field goals in today's game, DeWanna Bonner moved into 11th all-time in WNBA history (536) and 9th all-time (163) in Sun history in three-point field goals made.

Today's game marked Tiffany Hayes's 300th career game.

With three assists on the day, DeWanna Bonner moved into 14th all-time in assists in Sun history, tying Jonquel Jones (315).

All five starters scored in double figures for the fourth time this season. Connecticut is now 4-0 when all five starters score 10+.

The Sun's 30 first-quarter points mark a season-high in the opening quarter of action.

The Dream's seven first-half field goals is one shy of an all-time Sun opponent team low. The Sun held the Seattle Storm to six field goals in a half on 8/31/09.

Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST

CON 86 30 15 22 19 Bonner- 20 Thomas- 11 Thomas- 8

ATL 78 16 22 16 24 Howard- 22 Parker- 8 Howard/Gray- 2

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun finish their two-game road trip in Arlington, taking on the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, July 25 at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT.

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