Sun 75, Mercury 72: One last time at Mohegan Sun Arena

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - There is no saving the Connecticut Sun these days, despite a bunch of last-ditch, Hail Mary-type efforts, Connecticut will play as the Houston Comets in 2027.

It - along with the losses that have been piling up - have made it extremely difficult to get invested in this particular version of the Sun. You may have noticed that the postings here have been inconsistent (or, at times, nonexistent), and I apologize.

I’d love to say I was there from the beginning in 2003. I sort of, kind of, was, as in I did go to a playoff game against Charlotte, where Allison Feaster (whose daughter now knows Mohegan Sun Arena well and will grace WNBA stadiums soon) and Dawn Staley were beaten by the Sun.

The Sun celebrate Friday's victory.

I have always loved the sport of basketball, so to say I’m not in the target demographic of the WNBA as a middle-aged white male is a cop out, but my relative conservative upbringing and immersion in the sports talk radio world clouded my thoughts and vision of what the WNBA was.

Thankfully, my experience in education and - at the risk of sounding like Brett Kavanaugh (and you never want to be compared to him) - coaching girls basketball helped me on my journey to understanding how special the league is and how the community is so joyful and a source of pride for large swaths of marginalized communities.

With that, the visits to Mohegan Sun Arena became more and more frequent until I moved to Vermont a few years ago.

My head tells me the team had to go. Although the exponential growth of the WNBA has led many of the people I used to run with to take another jealous look and try to tear down what is being built through culture wars, pure spite, or just general homophobia, misogyny, and racism (the big three have all played their part lately), it has been so satisfying to watch the women finally get the money and notoriety they deserve.

For the Sun and Mohegan Tribe, the beginning of the end came in the 2024 playoffs when the team was forced to share a practice facility with a birthday party. We knew then that the league had outgrown Mohegan Sun Arena and the relatively tiny market that surrounded it. From there, it was only a matter of time.

But I tried really hard Friday night to soak in everything that made the community so great over the years: a source of pride for a basketball loving state, its only professional franchise, and one that always showed up for its team and the WNBA, even when the league was in dire straits. You saw the diversity in the crowd: young kids and families, senior citizens that support UConn, the LGBT community. I never saw any animosity toward anyone, even when the Sun were losing (and they’ve won more than they’ve lost over the years, for sure).

One last lap around the bustling casino, one last waffle cone at Ben and Jerry’s next to the arena, one last look at the fountains.

The game itself was a blast from the past. Down 16 in the second quarter and watching Kelsey Plum do whatever she wished, the Sun mounted an improbable comeback led by its defense and actually making some outside shots, which have been few and far between in recent times.

The one moment that brought me to tears was the Sun putting Alyssa Thomas in their Ring of Honor (which likely won’t go to Houston, sadly). AT was the most important part of the Sun’s success in the time I was most invested in the team, her unique style and ability to change the game so satisfying to watch and defend against her detractors. Thomas never quite got her championship ring, coming as close as one game in 2019.

Alyssa Thomas speaks to the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd Friday night.

So many AT memories. So many Sun memories in general. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Someday, I guess.

What else did we see in the Sun’s dramatic 75-72 win over Phoenix Friday night?

1. 1. Unlikely heroes  - Aaliyah Edwards and Kennedy Burke, both coming off the bench, led the Sun in scoring and there’s a vision for both doing that consistently in the future, although the chances of Burke following the Sun to Houston in 2027 with her large contract seem slim. Burke shot the ball with confidence and Edwards’ strength and energy were more under control (she had no turnovers). She is extremely difficult to stop with momentum headed to the basket and should find herself at the free throw line a lot, all things considered.

2. BG having fun - One of the lasting images of Friday night was Brittany Griner grabbing the flag from Blaze (I’ll miss Blaze) postgame and doing several laps around Mohegan Sun Arena, showing complete disregard for the flag’s safety in the process, but clearly enjoying herself. She had a minimal offensive impact through rust and a hard double every time she touched the ball, but her presence makes getting to the rim that much harder and she is still athletic enough to chase Alyssa Thomas around and not let her see the floor. Here’s hoping she can stay on the court.

3. HVL vs. CLW -  Initials everywhere. There were some very solid minutes for Hailey Van Lith in this one as she outplayed Charlise Leger-Walker (who did hit a couple of threes). Neither could come close to staying in front of Kelsey Plum and that might be a long-term issue for the franchise, but although she had three turnovers in 20 minutes, Leger-Walker posted a +5, with Van Lith was a +4 in 14 minutes. They combined to shoot 3-for-5 from behind the arc as well as the Sun made 4 of 7 in the the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. 

Player of the game:  Aaliyah Edwards - She made her return in style, scoring 15 points, adding 8 rebounds, and just being a general menace on both ends of the floor. She has obviously been inconsistent this season, but on her good days, she’s been very good.

Inside the numbers : 10 -  Number of missed free throws for Phoenix, six by Alyssa Thomas, as the shoe was on the other foot with the other team failing from the charity stripe. Maybe AT just felt at home.

Under the radar: Nate Tibbetts (as he did a couple weeks ago) clearly wasn’t going to let Griner get the ball in single coverage, especially with Dewanna Bonner guarding her. It created a bunch of turnovers early (they had 18 total) as the Sun were stuck on 20 points with four minutes to go in the second quarter. But Van Lith and Burke finally hit a couple of shots and it seemed to spark the Sun to life.

It’s just such a different defensive setup with Griner in the game, when Leger-Walker struggles, Griner is there to at least make things difficult. It didn’t stop Plum from scoring 25 points in 28 minutes, though.

Quotable:  “I think it started in the locker room at halftime, we decided we were going to punch first in the third quarter because in the last couple of games, we haven’t been doing that." - Aaliyah Edwards

Next up: Thursday vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.