Bonner, Thomas combine for 37 points as Sun beat Fever in WNBA opener | CBC Sports

By Charlie On May 20, 2023

DeWanna Bonner scored 19 points, Alyssa Thomas had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and the Connecticut Sun held off No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever 70-61 on Friday night to begin the WNBA season.

Former Indiana coach Stephanie White got the win in her Connecticut debut after replacing Curt Miller, who took the Sun to the WNBA finals last season.

Connecticut led by 15 points after three quarters but Indiana scored the opening 10 points of the fourth to cut its deficit to 58-53. The Sun eventually scored with 3:06 left on Bonner’s fast-break layup.

Boston, the top pick in the WNBA draft, scored the next four points to get Indiana within 60-57. But Thomas scored six points in 70 seconds to keep Connecticut in front.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 15 of Indiana’s 28 first-half points and finished with 20 points. Boston added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Brionna Jones added 13 points and nine rebounds for Connecticut despite fouling out with 4:06 left in the fourth. Starters Tiffany Hayes and Natisha Hiedeman combined to shoot just three of 19.

Connecticut opened the game on a 12-1 run as Indiana didn’t make its first field goal until the 3:29 mark. The Sun extended it to 25-11 after scoring six of the opening seven points of the second quarter. Indiana got within 35-28 at halftime despite shooting just 25 per cent from the field.

Thibault wins debut as Mystics beat Liberty

Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins each scored 14 points and the Washington Mystics beat the new-look New York Liberty 80-64 on Friday night to give longtime assistant Eric Thibault a win in his coaching debut.

Elena Delle Donne added 13 points and Kristi Toliver scored 10 in her return to Washington after spending two seasons in Los Angeles.

New York, which was labelled a super team during the off-season, shot just 34 per cent from the field and turned it over 20 times in the season opener for both teams.

Cloud blocked Sabrina Ionescu’s shot at the halftime buzzer to keep Washington’s lead at 39-26. The visiting Liberty started the game making just five of 23 shots and finished the half shooting 27 per cent.

Cloud sank a jumper from the free throw line to extend Washington’s lead to 56-37 with 2:54 left in the third quarter.

Ionescu led New York with 18 points. Breanna Stewart had 12 points and 12 rebounds despite picking up her fourth foul with 3:42 left in the third quarter.

New York has high expectations this season after adding former MVPs Jonquel Jones through a trade and Stewart as a free agent. The Liberty also signed All-Star point guard Courtney Vandersloot.

Jones scored five points in 19 minutes and Vandersloot had eight points and six assists.

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