|
Bonner hit 8 of 13 shots from the field to
score 25 points while adding 10 rebounds and six assists. She
became the fifth player in league history to score 1,000 playoff
points and the third to compile 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in
postseason action.
Thomas finished with 28 points and 12 assists for the Sun, who
also got 18 points off the bench from Tyasha Harris. Connecticut
shot 58.3 percent in the first half and finished the night at
55.4 percent from the field.
Napheesa Collier starred in defeat for Minnesota with a
game-high 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting. However, she didn't
have enough help. Kayla McBride, who fired in a game-high 28
points on Sunday in an 82-75 victory that evened the series,
managed just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Bridget Carleton
came off the pine to score 13.
Connecticut advances to the semifinals for the fifth straight
season. The Sun will travel to Brooklyn on Sunday for Game 1 of
a best-of-five series against the second-seeded New York
Liberty.
Connecticut never trailed Wednesday, taking control midway
through the first quarter by rattling off 14 straight points in
a 2:20 span. Bonner capped the run with a 3-pointer at the 4:45
mark for a 20-6 lead, and the Sun took a 26-19 advantage to the
second period.
Minnesota made a push early in the second, closing within one on
Carleton's 3-pointer with 7:56 left and trailing by only three
as late as Collier's mid-range jumper at the 5:42 mark. However,
the Sun ended the half with a 17-5 burst, using a Bonner
buzzer-beater to take a 49-34 lead at the break.
The teams mostly traded buckets in the third quarter, with
Tiffany Hayes driving for a last-minute layup that allowed
Connecticut to stretch the margin to 65-49 going to the fourth
period.
--Field Level Media
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
