Tempo 106, Sun 102 (OT): Other team doesn't need any help

Losing sucks, even more so when you’re a professional athlete, so although the effort was better and the Sun scored more than 100 points, for crying out loud, having nothing to show for it at the end of the day is rough.

We know the Sun are headed nowhere this season, but would it kill everyone just to have one moment to shine in this brutal last couple of weeks?


You’d like to say that Connecticut collapsed in this one, and there was plenty to work on, especially at the defensive end, where again, opposing guards are having their way with the Sun. But - although this is not a space where we like to bash referees much - there were a few calls down the stretch that certainly didn’t help matters, including a baffling foul on Olivia Nelson-Ododa that fouled her out, and one on Leila Lacan that ended her night.


In the end, there were many positives, including the play of Lacan, although, it’s another tough loss as the season continues to slip away by the game.  


What else did we learn from a 106-102 overtime loss to Toronto that added to the Sun’s misery?:




 

  1. Getting stops  - Toronto got just seven points from its bench, and most of the attack - especially toward the end - was Brittney Sykes (and a little of Marina Mabrey). Obviously it’s not that easy because of switches and such, but several times after time outs late, Sandy Brondello just got the ball to Sykes and cleared out, leaving Lacan (a great defender, but still) on an island that eventually saw her foul out (even though I don’t think the last one was a foul). There just doesn’t seem to be enough adjustments late in these close games. 

  2. Good to see Lacan shine - Lacan finished with 24 points and seven assists, but even beyond that, she showed herself as a leader down the stretch, wanting the ball in her hands and making plays when the Sun needed it. That was the confident rookie we saw last year, and although Toronto’s defense is not elite, hopefully that will spark her going forward.

  3. Winning time -  The Sun had the lead in the final two minutes, but have not seemed to be able to put one-possession games out over the last two seasons. Perhaps most of that is being young, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.


Player of the game:  Leila Lacan - Getting 24 points and seven assists (against just two turnovers) is impressive offense, but she would probably be a little upset with herself with her defense, but the way the game was being called, it didn’t seem like there was much she could do at times.


Inside the numbers : 18 -  Number of offensive rebounds for the Sun, as they continue to be impressive in that category, led by Nelson-Ododa and Kennedy Burke (who had another poor shooting night).


Under the radar: I don’t think they keep official stats on such things, but I counted eight reviews in the fourth quarter and overtime, which led the game to take nearly three hours and drag to the finish despite the extra session. Did not seem like a great game for the officials at all, and Rachid Meziane agreed in postgame, but such is life.


Aaliyah Edwards had her best offensive game with the Sun by picking up 24 points, but only had a single rebound, which is a little bizarre for how she plays and with Aneesah Morrow still being out. The Sun forced only 11 turnovers and got just three steals, even with Mabrey having a lot of the ball.


Quotable:  “I just think that there were some things happening on the floor that I couldn’t control and it never involved my players, and that’s not normal." - Rachid Meziane


Next up: Saturday vs. Indiana, 6 p.m.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fever @ Sun preview: Shippin' up to Boston, hopefully not permanently yet

Image
There will be a lot going on Tuesday night at TD Garden, between the game being a showcase for the possible future of the Connecticut Sun, Caitlin Clark coming to town, and the first meeting of Indiana and Connecticut since the shenanigans of June 17 that saw Jacy Sheldon, of all people, ejected, and every right-wing website abuzz at the savior, Sophie Cunningham (I still get alerts for such articles a month later, by the way). I will not be there, sadly, although prices have gone down significantly for the cheap seats (about $100 at the moment), I already committed to my summer job for the evening. If anything, the Sun seem slightly less likely to move to Boston in 2026 then they did when I wrote their obituary two months ago on the eve of the regular season. This article shows how much moving the team to Boston for one night involves, but reading between the lines, there seems to be a little reluctance for the Celtics (and Bruins) to share much, at least not yet. The Sun sold out...
Read more

Have the Sun really been officially sold? (and a Liberty @ Sun preview)

Image
Nothing has really changed since Friday, well, at least on the court, so I figured we’d go off the board and off the court for the preview of the second game of a series with the New York Liberty. If you’ve been in a cave or on the town Saturday, multiple reports stated that the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca for $325 million is done and the franchise would be moving to Boston in 2027. That seems pretty straightforward, but it is far from it at the moment. Before I start, I want to iterate and reiterate that the most likely scenario for the end of this saga is for the Sun to indeed be in Boston in 2027. Marina Mabrey chases down a ball after battling with Stephanie Talbot Friday (David Butler / Imagn Images) But - and a big but - there are many things that are not adding up as finalized. Let’s start with Pagliuca, who is technically the Celtics minority owner, but not for much longer. The team recently sold for $6.1 billion (yes, with a b) ...
Read more

Sun 78, Liberty 62: Peering into the future

Image
If you stared closely enough Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, you could see into the future. It was the second quarter, and the Sun went with a lineup of Leila Lacan, Saniya Rivers, Marina Mabrey, Aneesah Morrow, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. And the reigning queens of the WNBA, the New York Liberty, could not score. On a few possessions, they never even got a shot off. Sandy Brondello (see below) would shout out Lacan and Nelson-Ododa by name, and the chances of Mabrey being with the Sun a couple of years down the road (there’s a chance she might be gone this wee k) are probably slim and none, but Jacy Sheldon also had one of her best defensive games of the season, and by 2027, maybe we can throw JuJu Watkins in there, and good freaking luck scoring regularly on that team. It’s also somewhat baffling that the team that can force 23 turnovers and generally wreak complete havoc on New York is the same one that is dead last in defensive efficiency (although the Sun have nearly caught the Sk...
Read more