Sun Take Down Defending Champion Liberty, 78-62
WNBA Connecticut Sun

Sun Take Down Defending Champion Liberty, 78-62

August 1, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release


Uncasville, CT - Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (5-21) defeated the New York Liberty (17-10) at Mohegan Sun Arena. The win marks the Sun's first home win against the Liberty since July 19, 2022. The Sun are now 1-1 against the Liberty during the 2025 regular season with their next meeting coming on Sunday, August 3 in Connecticut.

Marina Mabrey finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, season-high tying eight assists, and two steals. The double-double marked her fourth career double-double during regular season play and second of the 2025 season.

Following Mabrey, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leila Lacan both scored 16 points off of 6/8 shooting in the victory coming off the bench in tonight's game. Lacan made a career-high two three-pointers, while Nelson-Ododa finished with a team-best +/- +30 in the game.

Tina Charles finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a season-high three steals. With 15 points in tonight's game, Charles passed Jonquel Jones into seventh all-time in scoring in Sun franchise history. She now has 2,661 points in a Sun uniform in her career.

The Liberty began the game on a 14-5 run, forcing the Sun into a timeout with 6:08 to play in the first quarter. The two teams traded baskets following the first timeout, including back-to-back jumpers from Leila Lacan to cut the deficit to five, 18-14, with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. New York took a 20-15 lead over Connecticut into the second. Tina Charles scored six points in the first quarter to lead the Sun.

The Sun began the second quarter on a 9-5 run to cut the lead to three, 25-22. Leila Lacan scored five of Connecticut's nine to begin the second. A bucket by Marina Mabrey, one free-throw from Saniya Rivers and two free-throws from Leila Lacan gave the Sun its first lead, 27-25, of the game. New York went on an 8-0 run to go back up 33-27, but a Bria Hartley three stopped the bleeding with 4:34 remaining in the half. The Sun went on a 14-4 run to close the first half to take a 14-4 lead into the locker room. Tina Charles nailed the final basket of the half on a running jumper with 0.4 seconds to go.

The Liberty began the second half on a short scoring run to draw the game to three, 44-41. The Sun responded with a quick 6-1 run to take a 50-42 lead with 7:34 to play in the third. Marina Mabrey turned a steal into a three-pointer with 3:28 left in the third to make the score 56-46. After a short scoring run by the Liberty, Tina Charles was fouled on a turnaround jump shot and converted the free throw to extend the lead back to ten, 63-53. The Sun was able to outscore the Liberty, 20-18, in the third to take a nine-point lead into the fourth, 64-55.

The fourth quarter began with neither team scoring until the 7:27 mark when Leila Lacan made a three-pointer to give the Sun a 67-55 lead. Aneesah Morrow then scored a layup to give Connecticut their then largest lead of the night, 69-57, and force New York into a timeout. The Liberty responded on a 5-0 run to cut the Sun's lead to single digits, 69-62, with 5:08 to play in the game. The Sun did not back down as they closed the game on a 9-0 run to secure the 78-62 victory over the Liberty, holding them scoreless for the final five minutes. The Liberty's seven fourth quarter points marks a new season low for New York and ties a season low for Sun opponents in the fourth quarter this season.

The Sun shot 40.6% (28/69) while the Liberty shot 33.9% (20/59) from the field tonight. The Sun also scored 14 points off a Liberty season-high 21 turnovers and ended the night with 11 steals. Additionally, the Sun outrebounded the Liberty 42-29 and totaled five blocked shots on the evening. Connecticut's 42 rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds mark new season highs.

The Sun outscored the Liberty in the paint (32-24), on second chance opportunities (13-6), on fast break points (8-7), and from the bench (32-16).

The Liberty were led by Sabrina Ionescu with 23 points, while Jonquel Jones rounded out their double-digit scorers with 14 points. New York entered the game averaging a league-best 9.9 three-point field goals made per game, but the Sun held them to just 6/27 (22.2%) from beyond the arc.

Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST

CON 78 15 29 20 14 Mabrey-18 Morrow-11 Mabrey-8

NYL 62 20 17 18 7 Ionescu-23 Two players-7 Ionescu-5

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back in action on Sunday, August 3 at 1:00 PM ET when they host the New York Liberty at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Check out the Connecticut Sun Statistics



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