BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — They finally got it done. After losing seven consecutive regular season games to the Liberty, the Sun pulled out a 72-64 win on Saturday night, in front of a disappointed crowd at Barclay’s Center.
The win was a well-rounded effort that saw five Connecticut players reach double-figures on the second night of a back-to-back: Marina Mabrey (15 points), DiJonai Carrington (13 points), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12 points, 2 blocks), Brionna Jones (11 points) and DeWanna Bonner (10 points).
This late into the season, no singular game is going to reveal anything drastic about either team, and Saturday’s results don’t change the fact that New York has been the best team in the league all season (and in the previous three games against Connecticut).
But, there’s a couple things that we can take away in Connecticut’s big win:
The Sun have hope in a playoff series against the Liberty
Before the game, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said it was important for her team to come out with a win in order sweep the season series, and keep the Sun’s confidence low heading into the playoffs.
“This is a potential Finals matchup,” Brondello said. “We’ve won three of those games — it’s more ‘don’t give them any hope.’”
New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello on facing the Connecticut Sun tonight:
“This is a potential Finals matchup. We’ve won three of those games — it’s more ‘don’t give them any hope.’” pic.twitter.com/bkDQ76gxTx
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) August 24, 2024
But, with the win, the Sun ensured that wouldn’t be the case.
“We had a lot to figure out in the locker room,” DeWanna Bonner said postgame. “We had a huge and things changed. So for us to come together like that and get a win like this, it’s huge.”
Notably, the win also ensured they’d maintain a slim lead over the Minnesota Lynx for the #2 seed. The Sun improve to 21-8 on the year; the Lynx are just a half a game back at 22-8.
Connecticut’s defense withstands the toughest test in the WNBA
The Sun — owner’s of the league’s second-best defense this season — held the Liberty to 18 points below their season average. Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart was held to just 15 points, while Sabrina Ionescu shot just 3-13 from the field.
“I think it’s the most consistent game we played, particularly on the defensive end of the floor,” Stephanie White said. “We did a we did a good job of trying to get them into the shots that we wanted them to take. When we had breakdowns, we quickly remedied them. We played with multiple levels of effort, so when we had to scramble, we continued to make effort to make hustle plays and contest shots and finish plays. We made big plays offensively when we needed to and getting getting the production we got from the bench was big for us.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa was highly impactful off the bench
The 6’ 5 forward has played a limited role for the Connecticut Sun so far this season — heading into Saturday’s game against the Liberty, she averaged just 3.2 points in 12.1 minutes a night.
But, Nelson-Ododa was key to keeping the Sun in this one early on — she scored 8 points in the first half and finished the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 15 minutes, battling with Jonquel Jones when Brionna Jones took a seat.
After the game, she credited her teammates, as well as the coaching staff for working with her throughout the Olympic break.
“Our starting five does so much, especially just logging in so many minutes,” Nelson-Ododa said. “So I think the mentality of, not just myself, but the bench, is just trying to go in and contribute in any way that we can. Credit to my teammates for putting me into good positions to just kind of get going a little bit tonight.”
Stephanie White praised Nelson-Ododa’s activity, both defensively and offensively. Tasked with guarding Jonquel Jones for stretches, Nelson-Ododa held her own, racking up two blocks and utilizing her length to disrupt the former MVP.
“I think her activity level is better on both ends of the floor,” White said. “Liv is a player who can be a really good slasher, cutter — particularly after she sets on or off ball screens. I think she made herself available. She did a good job of recognizing matchups, and when she was cross matched, making herself available in the post.”
Marina Mabrey changes everything for Connecticut
Marina Mabrey scored a team-high 15 points in 26 minutes off the bench, just a day after exploding for a team-high 24 points in a win against the Sky. But, perhaps most impressive was her hustle. Mabrey drew an offensive foul on Jonquel Jones midway through the fourth quarter that Stephanie White later described as “huge.”
She seemingly dove on the ground and fought for loose balls whenever she was in the vicinity, reminding the world there’s a reason why Alyssa Thomas previously called her a dawg.
“She’s just a high IQ basketball player,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said pregame. “She just she gets it — she moves well without the basketball. She understands where the ball needs to get to, who to get it to. She has really good instincts in that area.”
Mabrey gives the Sun at least a partial solution to their offensive struggles.
“She gives us an opportunity for for a deeper run with her ability to not just shoot the ball, but to make plays. You saw that in our game last night, not just making shots, but making plays, and making plays for her teammates as well as as well as for herself. And she’s a clutch shot maker. We don’t have that — you’ll see at certain points of us getting to the backside of a shot clock or the bottom of a shot clock, and we don’t get anything out of it. And she’s a player who can do that.”
DeWanna Bonner praised Mabrey’s willingness to come off the bench and thrive in that role.
“Man, she’s a dawg,” Bonner said. “She’s just someone that came into our team and we didn’t have to slow down. Feels like we haven’t missed a beat.”
With the win, the Sun certainly still have questions. It was ugly at times — as it usually is in Connecticut. But the victory also set forth an encouraging blueprint, outlining what it could take for the Sun to win the championship.
