UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun couldn’t deliver a victory in the franchise’s final home opener at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday afternoon, but the team gave its faithful crowd plenty to cheer for in an 89-82 loss to the Seattle Storm.
Second-year forward Aneesah Morrow provided an incredible spark for Connecticut off the bench after coach Rachid Meziane retooled the starting lineup, recording the ninth double-double of her professional career before halftime. She finished with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the team in both categories.
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Behind Morrow, forward Diamond Miller had another standout performance logging 13 points, five rebounds and a steal. All-Star center Brittney Griner added 16 points shooting 6-for-11 plus six rebounds and two steals, and veteran forward Kennedy Burke joined the trio in double digits with 12 points, six boards and five assists.
Connecticut had an impressive defensive showing against teenage phenom Dominique Malonga, who finished 2-for-6 from the field for just six points, but the Sun were ultimately doomed by a lights-out shooting performance from Seattle’s bench: Reserve guards Lexie Brown and Jade Melbourne combined for 32 points hitting 71.4% from the field, and Brown finished with five made 3-pointers. Rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson also had a impressive showing with 16 points and six rebounds.
Foul trouble was also a major issue for Connecticut. The team gave up 25 points to Seattle on free throws, and it struggled to convert its own opportunities at the line going 16-for-22. The Sun fall to 0-2 on the season and will look to earn their first win when they return to Mohegan Sun on Wednesday for a matchup against the Las Vegas Aces.
The Sun ended their experiment of using Saniya Rivers at point guard Sunday, moving the second-year guard back to her natural position at the two and giving rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker her first WNBA start as the primary ball-handler. The adjustment was effective, creating a much smoother offensive flow than Connecticut had in its ugly season opener against the New York Liberty.
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Still, the Sun struggled to get shots to fall early, shooting just 38% from the field in the opening quarter. Forward Diamond Miller kept the offense afloat with eight points, and Connecticut began to find a rhythm as soon as Morrow checked in. The team scored four straight points to tie the game in Morrow’s first 30 seconds on the court, and the star forward put up her first points by swishing a contested 3-pointer with a smirk towards her Sun bench as her teammates exploded.
Morrow’s spark grew into bonfire in the second quarter. After Connecticut fell behind by as many as seven points, Morrow put up five straight to get the Sun within striking distance, and the team fed off of her energy. Kennedy Burke connected on her first 3-pointer after an 0-for-2 start to give Connecticut its first lead of the game, and Hailey Van Lith came up with a clutch steal that Griner converted into points with a spin move for a layup around Storm center Mackenzie Holmes that got the home crowd on its feet.
Connecticut went into halftime ahead 49-44, but Seattle got back in front quickly in the third when Brown caught fire. The veteran guard, who had just three points in the first half, nailed four 3-pointers in a row to propel the Storm to a nine-point lead. The Sun also struggled with ball security in the third, giving up six turnovers through the first six minutes of the quarter after ending the first half with just four.
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The Sun managed to claw back into the game late in the third quarter led by a burst from Van Lith. The second-year point guard, who signed with the Sun just four days ago, scored five unanswered points and connected on her first 3-pointer in a Connecticut jersey to cut down Seattle’s lead, and she then dished an assist to Olivia Nelson-Ododa with 16 seconds on the clock that sent the Sun into the final quarter trailing by two.
After going scoreless in the third, Morrow got going again in the fourth. She sank her third 3-pointer and blew a kiss to the Seattle bench in celebration, then hit a tough hook shot on the Sun’s next possession to make it a one-point game. The teams went bucket for bucket, neither managing to open up a lead larger than four points until a 7-1 run by the Storm over the final three minutes.
