Sun 80, Storm 78: No idea how, but Sun are on the board in the win column

If you looked up late at the Connecticut-Seattle game Wednesday night on the east coast, you might be rubbing your eyes. Nell Angloma and Reagan Beers were leading the way for the Sun? Aneesah Morrow was benched after six minutes? The bench scored 64 points and Saniya Rivers had just two? Ashlon Jackson - in her first WNBA game - was making huge plays down the stretch?

It added up to the first Connecticut win of 2026, finally, a gutty 80-78 victory in Seattle that will not exactly scare anyone in the WNBA nor likely solve any long-term problems, but it’s sure better than losing.


In the end, Angloma (who doesn’t turn 20 until next month) led the Sun in minutes, with Charlisse Leger-Walker (29), undrafted Beers (28), and Angloma (27, tied with Aaliyah Edwards) not far behind. Morrow - whose body language left more than a little to be desired - didn’t appear in the second half, and Rivers had just 13 minutes, two less than Ashlon Jackson, who was signed on a developmental contract two weeks ago, yet was on the floor for the final four minutes.


Was it 3D chess from Rachid Meziane or just throwing things against the wall to see if they stick? The Sun were without Brittany Griner, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Leila Lacan - three players that seem to get a good chunk of minutes when healthy. So what is left for some of the aforementioned players or people like Diamond Miller, who has struggled to start the season?


If Meziane doesn’t know, we certainly don’t. And while winning is great, a two-point win over a Storm team that didn’t have its best player or top rookie doesn’t mean they should start printing playoff tickets (do they print tickets anymore?) for Mohegan Sun Arena quite yet.


But it certainly creates some storylines going forward, doesn’t it?


What else did we learn from the Sun’s first road win since Aug. 27?:




 

  1. Rachid Meziane got the end of the game right - The Sun’s biggest weakness defensively has been on-ball guard defense without Lacan, and the answer - at least Wednesday - was Ashlon Jackson. Former Sun player Natisha Hiedeman, like many before her, was able to get to the rim at will for most of the game, but on the final two possessions, Jackson got the better of her. He also stuck with Charlisse Leger-Walker off the ball, even though she has had trouble defensively, but her intelligence and leadership has been a plus, and she was smart enough to see Kennedy Burke ahead of the pack for the game-winning layup. Would others have been able to make those plays? Not so sure. 

  2. No answer on Aneesah Morrow - Amazingly, Meziane was not asked about Morrow after the game, but our favorite Czech Bluesky account @nvmea pointed out that Morrow had a rough start to the second quarter with two turnovers, then got pulled from the game, not shaking anyone’s hand on the way to the end of the bench. By the second half, Morrow was in full pout mode, not really participating in timeouts, and it was clear she wasn’t returning Wednesday. There is still some of the puzzle to be filled in here: the injury report for Friday hasn’t been released yet, and Meziane’s comments about Aaliyah Edwards not being in shape that we took exception to earlier in the week were actually directed at her returning from injury, so there might be more to what we saw, but it wasn’t good for anyone.

  3. Who gets cut? -  It does appear the Sun will have a little reprieve on cutting a player as Leilia Lacan will not join the Sun on the west coast and likely make her 2026 debut next Saturday night in Hartford against Los Angeles. Of course, if they want to make Jackson a full-time player, they would have to take someone off their roster, and it can’t be Beers at this point, can it? So who? Gianna Kneepkens? I wonder if the Sun (obviously looking toward the future even though it won’t be in Connecticut) will look to trade someone like Miller or Edwards (or Morrow?) for a first-round pick if they can find a taker before then.


Player of the game:  Ashlon Jackson - This is based more on the final minutes, obviously, but she not only had those two clutch defensive stops, but a massive steal and layup when the Sun were struggling in the fourth quarter. I’m not sure what that means for long-term, but she certainly deserves another shot on this road trip until Lacan arrives.


Inside the numbers : 8 -  Number of rebounds for Reagan Beers to lead the Sun, the first time Aneesah Morrow has not led them in that category this season.


Under the radar: Burke doesn’t exactly qualify as “under the radar”, but it was her best game in a Sun uniform, and they needed her 3-for-5 from behind the arc (the rest of the Sun were just 2-for-15) to pull out the win. Rivers - despite playing just 13 minutes and attempting one shot - actually led the Sun at +19, while Jackson - whom I just made Player of the Game, was a -13.


It’s clear Angloma is athletic enough to play in the WNBA, but she did have some poor decision making on both ends of the floor. For the Sun going forward, it’s probably going to be how much they want her to grow on the court as they head to Houston, and sadly for us, with the Sun going nowhere most likely, why not give her minutes, even if it’s at the expense of someone like Miller?


Quotable:  “I just can’t wait to learn and play more games in this league." - Nell Angloma


Next up: Wednesday at Seattle, 10 p.m.



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