UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun may not be championship contenders in 2026, but the scrappy young squad proved it’s capable of holding its own against the best in the league in an 79-67 preseason loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Sun are building an identity around defense, and despite the loss, they managed to limit the Liberty to just 37% shooting from the field and 35% from 3-point range. UConn legend Breanna Stewart, a two-time WNBA MVP, scored just four points on 4-for-6 shooting in 18 minutes on the court, and four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu shot 2-for-8 for six points with a team-high three turnovers in 16 minutes.
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Though its defensive performance was strong, Connecticut couldn’t quite keep pace with New York on the offensive end. It hit a combined 41% from the field but struggled again from 3-point range shooting 6-for-21 after it was 5-for-20 in the preseason opener against the Toronto Tempo.
The Sun will open the regular season with a road rematch against the Liberty on Friday, and the team has some big decisions to make after Sunday’s result with final rosters due Thursday. Coach Rachid Meziane said he hopes to have the 12-player roster and two developmental spots set a few days before the end of training camp, so cuts will likely be made within the next 24 hours.
Brittney Griner shows vintage dominance
When the Sun signed 11-time All-Star Brittney Griner in free agency, there were questions about whether the veteran center could still be the unstoppable post presence she was in her prime after she had the least productive season of her career last year with the Atlanta Dream. In Sunday’s game, Griner looked like her old self again battling against one of the most loaded front courts in the WNBA. She finished with a team-high 16 points shooting 7-for-9 on top of four rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes. She added a pair of 3-pointers to her highlight reel going 2-for-2 beyond the arc, marking her first time making multiple outside shots in a game since Atlanta’s 2025 preseason win over the Washington Mystics.
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Griner spent most of her 21 minutes on the court matched up up against X-time All-Star Jonquel Jones, and she helped hold the Liberty center to just seven points and three rebounds before halftime. Griner also had to contend with 6-foot-11 Han Xu, but the superstar veteran wasn’t phased and hit one of her most impressive shots dancing through the lane for a layup over Xu’s outstretched hand.
Turnover woes continue
Meziane said the Sun’s biggest weakness currently is its lack of playmakers, and the issue showed in the team’s ongoing turnover issues. Though they improved on the 26 turnovers they allowed in the opener against Toronto, Connecticut still gave the ball up 16 times, and New York put up 13 points off of the Sun’s lost possessions. Five of the team’s turnovers game in the first quarter alone.
Until Leila Lacan arrives from her overseas season in France, the Sun don’t have a clear first option at point guard. Second-year guard Saniya Rivers started both preseason matchups in the position, but she has limited experience as a primary ball-handler and gave up a pair of turnovers Sunday after she had four against the Tempo. Rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker had a strong debut in Toronto, but she struggled against New York’s more experienced guards and finished Sunday’s game scoreless and without an assist while giving up a team-high three turnovers.
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Rookies play fearless
Gianna Kneepkens stands just 6 feet tall, but the rookie guard didn’t back down when she found herself in a battle for an offensive rebound with 6-foot-6 Jones and 6-foot-4 Stewart early in the first quarter. Kneepkens somehow managed to box out the pair of former league MVPs by herself to secure the board, and she put it back a short jump shot for her first points of the game.
Kneepkens wasn’t the only rookie showing confidence beyond her years. Center Ragean Beers, who signed with the Sun on a training camp after going undrafted, made just six 3-pointers in her entire senior season at Oklahoma, but she didn’t hesitate to launch a shot from beyond the arc over Jones in her second-ever WNBA appearance. Beers was also aggressive defensively, picking Stewart’s pocket for a steal in the second quarter.
