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The Sun had 28 assists on 33 made field goals
and set a playoff franchise record with 16 3-pointers on 30
attempts. A 21-3 Connecticut run during the second quarter made
the difference.
It was the largest margin of victory in Sun playoff history, and
Connecticut can close out the best-of-three series with one more
win. The Sun will host Game 2 on Sunday afternoon.
Connecticut's Rebecca Allen shot 5-for-6 from 3-point range and
finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four steals. Tiffany
Hayes added 14 points, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and
Alyssa Thomas tallied 15 points, 10 assists and five steals.
Tyasha Harris had 12 points off the bench for the Sun, going
3-for-3 from long distance.
Kayla McBride scored 16 points and Napheesa Collier had 14 for
the Lynx, who shot just 21-for-60 overall (35 percent) and
committed 19 turnovers that turned into 30 Sun points. Guard
Lindsay Allen and forward Jessica Shepard missed the game due to
injuries.
Hayes made two early 3-pointers to help the Sun establish a 14-5
lead. McBride scored the Lynx's final nine points of the first
frame, her driving floater with two seconds left trimming the
margin to 18-16 after one quarter.
The Lynx took their first lead at 21-20 as they started the
second quarter 6-for-6 on free throws as a team. However,
Harris' consecutive 3-pointers 49 seconds apart launched the
Sun's 21-3 run. DiJonai Carrington scored seven straight points
in that stretch.
Allen's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left gave the Sun a 46-32
halftime advantage. Connecticut went 5-for-6 from the arc as a
team in the second quarter alone.
Hayes buried a triple and Bonner fed Thomas in transition to
give Connecticut its first 20-point lead, 56-36, at the 7:05
mark of the third quarter. The Sun led 69-52 after three.
The result already in hand, Connecticut ran off 17 straight
points during the fourth quarter, featuring three 3-pointers
from Allen. Minnesota went scoreless for 7 minutes, 12 seconds
until Diamond Miller made a triple with six seconds left. The
Lynx managed just eight points in the final period.
--Field Level Media
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