Mystics 92, Sun 84: Just completely outmatched in the paint

We’ve written plenty in this blog about being jealous of Golden State and how they’ve been able to build an identity so quickly while the Sun continues to look for one (and apparently will continue to do so into next year).

However, the better comparison may be Washington, another extremely young team that is looking to build for the future slowly through the draft and unloading big veteran salaries. The Mystics’ roster makeup is also similar to Connecticut’s: their biggest strength is in the paint, especially on the glass and on the defensive end.


Like the Sun, shooting from the outside has been a struggle and they have experienced growing pains, even leading scorer Sonia Cintron is hitting just 28.4% behind the arc this season. But Washington has found a way to keep getting better in spite of their weaknesses. Tuesday’s win over the Sun brings them to 15-12 and a likely playoff participant this season.


They are unlikely they’ll do too much damage in the 2026 postseason, but the 2025 trade that sent Ariel Atkins to Chicago not only allowed the Mystics to draft Cintron, but also will give Washington a decent shot at the top pick in the 2027 draft (it should be either them or the Sun with the first spot).


The Sun got off to a flying start Tuesday behind Aneesah Morrow (more on her later), but if you’re a regular watcher of Connecticut, you know that type of shooting was not going to last. Eventually, the Mystics used their advantage inside with Brittany Griner and Aaliyah Edwards out and the Sun had no answer on either end of the court for what they were trying to do.


While you can’t control injuries, again the Sun were left without any answer to what an opponent was doing. And so it goes as we reach the end of the franchise.


What else did we see in the Sun’s 92-84 loss in Washington on Tuesday?:



  1. To trade or not to trade?  - With the trade deadline looming, Aneesah Morrow is the name most mentioned, even with Toronto claiming the Sun turned down a first-round draft pick for an unnamed Sun player (which could have been Saniya Rivers or Olivia Nelson-Ododa, too). Morrow showed her offensive ability, scoring a career-high 21 points, but had all kinds of trouble on the other end and finished at a -13. Obviously, it depends on what the Sun is getting in return, but maybe a fresh start will help both parties here.

  2. Reagan Beers struggling - Ironically she found herself up against Lauren Betts, her college rival and the fourth pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. But the fact that Beers had to play more minutes than Beers gives away the differences between the two rosters at the moment. Beers has looked like a solid backup at times this season for the Sun, but against the likes of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin, it was a tough, tough night for her.

  3. Worth of ONO -  It’s taken a while (might not have been so long if more people read this blog), but the WNBA world has figured out how valuable Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s minutes are and how much of an impact she can have on the defensive end. SHe still fouls too much, but she’s improving in that aspect as well. For the right contender (Minnesota?), she would be a huge piece coming off the bench, so it’s not a shock her name is being mentioned a lot at the trade deadline, but we’ll see what the offers are and whether someone with the Sun/Comets pulls the trigger. Not having her would be a disaster for the Sun in the short-term, but that’s not a big concern right now. 


Player of the game:  Aneesah Morrow - Part of her defensive struggles weren’t necessarily her fault (more below), so we’ll let her 21 points and 4 three-pointers stand for themselves here.


Inside the numbers : 11 -  Number of three-pointers for Connecticut, the first time it has been in double digits since August of last year in a narrow loss to New York, with Marina Mabrey getting four of those shots from behind the arc.


Under the radar: Maybe it was forced, but playing Morrow at the 4 was just never going to work against the likes of Austin, Iriafen, and Betts. But the only other option was Beers? Nell Angloma? In retrospect, one of the developmental spots (neither was used Tuesday) probably should have been for a post player because we don’t even know how long Griner and Edwards will be out.


Leila Lacan struggled again, and like Cintron, has found the going a little tougher in her sophomore WNBA campaign. Most of that is to be expected, I keep bringing up the fact that she’s only 22, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch.


Quotable:  “We are never satisfied by losing a game, but I do think we did a great job for 30 minutes. The dynamic of the game changed in the third quarter, we let them get a lot of confidence. We gave up too many free throws (33), and we only went 18 times. Tough loss, but we have to learn from that." - Connecticut coach Rachid Meziane


Next up: Thursday at Chicago, 8 p.m.

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