Sun Struggle in Fourth, Falls 89-80
Published on June 8, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release
Uncasville, CT - Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (2-11) dropped a nine-point loss, 89-80, to the New York Liberty (8-4) Monday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa combined for 30 after putting up 15 apiece; Nelson-Ododa was perfect from the field (6-6) and pulled down eight rebounds. Saniya Rivers contributed 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Diamond Miller scored 10 points, going 50% from the field (4-of-8). Leila Lacan added seven points and seven assists alongside two assists.
Miller opened scoring for the Sun, picking up two at the rim. After going scoreless, Breanna Stewart broke the drought for the Liberty, picking up her first points in the contest. Connecticut and New York traded shots between Stewart and Nelson-Ododa before Edwards and Lacan joined the action, adding two points apiece to give the Sun a slight edge. Han Xu dropped in a '24 three, giving the Liberty the advantage, but Edwards secured another two points on the other end. It was an offensive battle as shots continued to fall, with Rivers and Satou Sabally at the helm of the stretch. The Liberty led 21-13 following a three from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Miller found her stride offensively expanding her range from behind the arc and closed the gap 23-18.
Charlisse Leger-Walker put the Sun within striking distance at 23-20, grabbing two from in-close. Despite the Liberty extending its lead, rookie duo Gianna Kneepkens and Leger-Walker combined for four points staying close to New York 27-24. Edwards put the Sun within one at 27-26 using a floater to cut the lead, but Sabally earned three after going 0-2 from behind the line pushing New York out 30-26. A trip to the charity stripe for Nell Angloma saw her collect two points, once again putting the sun within a single point. Foul trouble plagued the Sun, allowing New York to capitalize on mistakes. Raegan Beers and Angloma kept the contest close at 34-33, after two consecutive trips to the rim and Beers' defense forced a New York Liberty timeout. Coming out of the break, the foul trouble continued for the Sun, sending Stewart to the line where she went 2-for-2 for a three-point 36-33 lead. Edwards followed up with two on the other end, but fouled Stewart allowing another 2-for-2 opportunity. The Liberty led 38-35 at the send if the half. Connecticut shot 41.7 percent from the field, while New York was held to 39.4 percent shooting.
It was an empty two minutes for both squads before Pauline Astier, Stewart, and Han put together seven points for the Liberty. Rivers got the Sun offense started recording four points in back-to-back trips. New York led 49-41 after Lacan started to find her rhythm offensively and knocked down her second jumper of the night. Connecticut put the Liberty in the bonus with a little over four minutes remaining and Laney-Hamilton was immediately sent to the line where she went 1-of-2. Hope wasn't lost for the Sun, as they continued to use Lacan's range from deep to close the gap. The Sun frontcourt faced foul trouble late in the third with Beers picking up her fifth and Nelson-Ododa logging her fourth as Connecticut trailed 56-44. Nelson-Ododa converted the and-one opportunity and Angloma earned two from inside. New York's shooting threats was on full display as they continuously used long range looks to extend the lead. Kneepkens picked up three consecutive points at the free throw line after being fouled by Astier. The score sat at 65-56 following another and-one opportunity by Nelson-Ododa.
Mirroring her first frame action, Miller got the Sun started in the fourth with a '26 three closing in on the lead 65-59. Nelson-Ododa made her way to the basket for 11 points on the night, but Stewart could not be stopped on the other end finding the bottom of the net from inside the post extending the Liberty lead 69-61. Connecticut cut into the lead 73-66 with Edwards and Rivers leading the way combining for five points. Nelson-Ododa took over for the Sun securing consecutive buckets to close the gap 76-70. A dish from Lacan found Miller at the rim for two, but Astier answered driving in the lane for two. The Sun cut the lead to 82-76 with Rivers returning the favor inside the paint notching 10 points on the night. Down the stretch, New York earned points at the line attempting to seal the game however, Connecticut would not be put away only trailing by seven, 84-76. Unable to contain the Liberty offense, the Sun fell 87-80.
Game Notes:
Olivia Nelson-Ododa recorded a season-high 15 points in tonight's contest.
Nelson-Ododa led in rebounds for the first time this season snagging eight.
Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST
CON 80 18 17 21 24 Nelson-Ododa/Edwards - 15 Nelson-Ododa -8 Lacan - 7
NYL 80 23 15 27 24 Stewart-28 Stewart-9 Astier - 4
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back on the road as they face the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday, June 10 inside Coca-Cola Coliseum at 7:00 PM ET.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 8, 2026
- Caitlin Clark Hits Game Winner in Indiana Fever Road Victory - Indiana Fever
- Sun Struggle in Fourth, Falls 89-80 - Connecticut Sun
- The Cup Chase- Volume 4 - WNBA
- Storm Waives Lexie Brown - Seattle Storm
- Game Preview: Valkyries vs. Phoenix Mercury Commissioner's Cup - 6/9/26 - Golden State Valkyries
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
