Storm 89, Sun 82: Hopefully not a harbinger of things to come

We’re going to try to keep it positive as much as we can this season, but will be games this season that the Sun are not supposed to win, like Friday’s opener against the Liberty, and games that they really should have a good chance to prevail, like Sunday against Seattle.

Add the fact that Dominique Malonga was limited to just 20 minutes due to foul trouble (and Stefanie Dolson just 21), and everything was set up to grab their first victory of the season before a potentially angry Las Vegas team comes in for a pair of games this week.


But it didn’t happen, obviously, the Sun showed flashes (more on Aneesah Morrow later), but had too many turnovers, committed too many fouls, and just didn’t have enough on-the-ball defense to get the job done, even against a Seattle team that seems likely to be near the bottom of the WNBA standings with the Sun.


Leila Lacan will solve some of their problems, but the concern is that things can spiral out of control quickly here, and in the final season in Connecticut, that could create a pretty apathetic fanbase for the second half.


However, it did look like that might happen a year ago as well before the end of the campaign, so here’s to hoping the same thing might happen this time around. Fingers crossed? There are still 42 games to go, after all.


What else did we learn from the Sun’s 89-82 loss to Seattle that was tough to watch for a lot?:




 

  1. Angry Aneesah Morrow is an effective one - Morrow didn’t start (which seemed like more of a tactical thing, Charlisse Leger-Walker took her place), but had a double-double before halftime almost single-handedly gave the Sun the lead and what looked like momentum heading into the second half. Morrow has her limitations with size, but she said herself at halftime that she presents matchup problems and she certainly does when she’s hitting from behind the arc. The final line: 17 points (3-for-6 from three), 16 rebounds is impressive, and will likely force her back into the starting lineup, but at the expense of…. 

  2. A brutal day for Saniya Rivers and others - Rivers eventually got benched at the end of the game (for Morrow), finishing with a horrible line of just 2 points on 1-for-8 shooting and a hideous -22 in just 20 minutes. She clearly doesn’t have confidence in her jumper at the moment, but more concerning might be her defense where opponents are getting to the rim at will on her (something that is also a problem for Leger-Walker and Hailey Van Lith as well). Hopefully it’s just a matter of her getting used to her new teammates, but she also hasn’t recorded a steal in the first two games, either.

  3. Turnovers and fouls -  It’s not a shock that the Sun are going to struggle shooting the ball, but you can’t do that and turn the ball over at an alarming rate, 16 more of them on Sunday (5 from Kennedy Burke). They had 10 offensive rebounds, which is solid, but it can’t overcome the other two factors. On the other end, they committed 28 fouls after 25 in the season opener, and that’s going to mitigate a lot of other good things.


Player of the game:  Aneesah Morrow - One way to force yourself onto the court is to just be a menace and make your coach leave you out there. With 17 points and 16 rebounds, it’s almost a lock that Morrow will start on Wednesday, and it’s the kind of attitude the Sun are going to need going forward in a big way.


Inside the numbers : 14 -  Number of turnovers for the Storm, which isn’t terrible for the Sun, but five of them came in the early part of the third quarter, so there were only 9 the rest of the way. As we talked about last season, for Connecticut to be successful, they’re going to have to force turnovers and get points that way, and it didn’t happen Sunday. 


Under the radar: A lot has been made about missing Leila Lacan (and rightfully so), but not having Aaliyah Edwards is a big loss as well. Diamond Miller had another solid game offensively, but having Edwards with Griner (and maybe Rivers) might present a different look for opponents, and not let them depend on rookies so much.


When Lacan returns, it will be a tough roster call for the powers that be, both on who to keep and who to play. Leger-Walker got the start and looked a little more comfortable, but it’s a big ask for her to be a regular starter in the WNBA. Van Lith looks great on offense in the half-court, but struggled (as did Leger-Walker) defensively, so we’ll see how Rachid Meziane adjusts.


Quotable:  “Right now we don’t have many playmakers, so we have to get more post touches. We have to pass more and not dribble as much. Those are the biggest takeaways from this game to me." - Rachid Meziane


Next up: Wednesday vs. Las Vegas, 8 p.m.



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