Sun Secure Road Victory over Tempo, 83-78
WNBA Connecticut Sun

Sun Secure Road Victory over Tempo, 83-78

Published on April 29, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release


TORONTO - Tonight, the Connecticut Sun began the 2026 preseason with an 83-78 win against the Toronto Tempo in its debut as one of the newest WNBA franchises. The Sun trailed by as many as 13 points in the third frame and as many as nine in the final quarter but rallied with a 17-7 run to come out with a five-point win.

Aneesah Morrow led the Sun with 21 points off the bench-her first career 20-point game-and collected a game-high seven rebounds. The Sun's resident Canadian, Aaliyah Edwards followed with 14 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and grabbed five boards. Kennedy Burke knocked down 3-of-5 from downtown to score 13 points in the preseason exhibition.

Brittney Griner got the Sun off to a great start in her Sun preseason debut on both the offensive and defensive end with a basket immediately followed by a block to start the game. Resident Canadian, Kia Nurse, had the honor of scoring the first points in Tempo history at the 7:59 mark in the first quarter with a three-pointer to tumultuous applause by the Tempo fans. The Sun proceeded to go on a 17-6 run with additional baskets from Sun newcomers Griner and Burke and returners Edwards and Morrow. The Tempo went on a run of their own, closing out Connecticut scored nine straight before Toronto's Laura Juskaite made a layup to put the Tempo back on the board. 11 trips to the foul line put the Sun on top, 20-11, until a late run from the Tempo pulled them up to a tie in the final seconds of the first frame. Morrow led Sun scorers with eight points and three rebounds in the first.

Raegan Beers tossed in a layup for two points to tip-off the second quarter. Lexi Held answered with a 24' step-back 3, followed by a stolen ball from Connecticut to give Elizabeth Balogun the chance to shoot and make a 2-point jumper. Beers dished to Edwards, who attacked the paint and added two for the Sun. A back-and-forth of turnovers and misses followed, until Edwards dropped another dime after an almost two-minute scoring drought from both sides. Two fouls gave Juskaite four chances at the foul line, and she sunk all four to give Toronto a three-point lead with 5:50 remaining. Edwards scored her third layup in three minutes, followed by two Diamond Miller shots to retake the lead, 32-29. Burke sunk a shot from beyond the arc at three minutes left in the half to cap a five-point run from the Sun. Madison Rocci tipped in a ball at the rim to tie the game with two minutes until the break. Rocci began a run for the Tempo, who scored six straight in less than 60 seconds to take a 45-39 lead. Toronto took the half 47-40, outscoring Connecticut 27-20. Edwards led scoring for the Sun in the second frame with 10 points, while Held grabbed 12 for the Tempo.

Saniya Rivers opened the third with a strong defensive effort, securing her first block of the contest. Edwards got the Sun on the board in the third, driving into the paint. Burke was next, adding two of her own. A foul by Held led to Miller sealing two at the charity stripe. Toronto added to their lead after Nurse responded with two. The Sun recorded back-to-back points with Burke scoring her third three-pointer of the game and rookie Taylor Bigby earning her first points in a WNBA game. After a minute of empty possessions from each team, Charlisse Leger-Walker ended the scoring drought with two, also earning her first points in her WNBA career. Toronto closed the quarter with a three from Kristy Wallace, extending the lead 61-55.

Bigby continued her momentum opening the final quarter with her first career block. It was all defense from the Sun as Olivia Nelson-Ododa turned her steal from Juskaite into two points and three unanswered baskets after Morrow saw two successful trips in the paint. The small run brought the Sun within three of the Tempo before Juskaite responded. Assisted by fellow rookie Walker, Kneepkens cut the lead to just two after draining a 24' three-pointer. With less than five minutes remaining in the contest, Beers and Morrow earned two points apiece bringing the Sun within one. Leger-Walker put the Sun in the lead 72-71 after an assist from Beers turned into two. Morrow dialed in from three to extend the lead to 75-71, shifting the favor to the Sun late down the stretch. Leger-Walker continued to see success from down low, recording her sixth point of the evening. Held responded with a three late in the quarter closing in on the Sun. Morrow's offensive rebounding efforts put Leger-Walker at the line where she went 1-of-2. Morrow closed the game at the charity stripe and sealed the 83-78 win for the Sun.

The Sun outscored the Tempo in the paint 44-28, showcasing the depth and versatility of the Connecticut roster. Off 11 rebounds, the Sun scored 15 second chance points, where the Tempo only scored four from four rebounds. Efficient in shooting, Connecticut shot 52.5% from the field while Toronto shot 40.3%. The Sun also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Tempo 35-21.

Notes:

Kia Nurse recorded the first points in Tempo history at the 7:59 mark in the first quarter with a three-pointer.

The Sun opened and closed the match on 17-point runs, with a 17-6 run in the first frame to take an early 10-point lead, and a 17-7 run to close regulation.

The Sun outperformed the Tempo in field goal percentage (52.5), points in the paint (42), second chance points (15) and rebounds (35).

No Tempo players collected more than four rebounds, where Edwards (5), Griner (5), Beers (5) and Morrow (7) all collected 5+ boards.

Toronto outshot Connecticut from beyond the arc, 11-5, and took 11 more attempts from downtown (31-20).

Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST

CON 83 20 20 17 26 Morrow - 21 Morrow - 7 Leger-Walker - 4

TOR 78 20 27 19 12 Held - 21 Juskaite/Balogun - 4 Wallace/Rocci - 4

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun return home to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, to host the New York Liberty on Sunday, May 3 at 5:00 PM EST.

Check out the Connecticut Sun Statistics

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