Sun beat Tempo in franchise's final game in Connecticut before moving to Houston
· Yahoo Sports
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Sun fans, many decked in the orange shirts they have been wearing for years, turned out one last time as the franchise played its final game before moving to Houston, a 95-81 win over the Toronto Tempo on Thursday night.
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Longtime season ticket holders were among those honored as the Sun said goodbye to Mohegan Sun Arena.
When the Sun moved from Orlando to Connecticut after the 2002 season, former UConn stars Nykesha Sales and Rebecca Lobo were the faces of the franchise. Sales, recently hired as an assistant coach at UConn, was among those recognized Thursday.
Another UConn product, Aaliyah Edwards, had 14 first-half points to help the Sun to a 38-36 lead at the break. The Sun took control in the third quarter, much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 8,911, and went on to snap a six-game skid.
Blaze, the Sun mascot, delighted the crowd by banking in a half-court shot shortly before the players came onto the court. The game ended with the five Sun players on the court embracing, and the rest of the team walked onto the court and raised their arms. Former UConn star and WNBA President Jennifer Rizzotti grabbed a microphone and thanked the crowd.
MYSTICS 101, SKY 93
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sonia Citron scored 21 points, Kiki Iriafen had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and playoff-bound Washington beat Chicago in their regular-season finale.
Washington (27-17) needed a loss by Indiana to earn the fifth-seed in the playoffs and a first-round matchup with the Atlanta Dream. The sixth seed plays No. 3 seed and defending champion Las Vegas in the best-of-three opening round that begins on Sunday.
Chicago (16-28) fell behind quickly and trailed by 25 in the fourth quarter before getting within 95-91 on Courtney Vandersloot’s four-point play and layup with a minute left. Citron ended the threat when she fed Iriafen for a bucket with 39 seconds to play.
Washington won seven of eight games down the stretch and 16 of its last 19, going 3-0 against Chicago. Michaela Onyenwere also had 16 points, Georgia Amoore had 14 and Cotie McMahon 12 off the bench. Shakira Austin had 11 rebounds as the Mystics had a 44-27 advantage on the boards.
Vandersloot, Kamila Cardoso and Sydney Taylor each had 16 for Chicago.
LYNX 86, FEVER 66
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kayla McBride scored 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range as top-seeded Minnesota closed the regular season by cruising to a victory Thursday night that pushed the Indiana Fever into sixth place entering the WNBA playoffs.
Natasha Howard had 21 points and Courtney Williams added nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for the Lynx, who played without star point guard Olivia Miles for a second straight game due to a left calf injury. The Lynx snapped back from a blowout loss to the Fever on the road two days ago.
Kelsey Mitchell had a team-leading 10 points and Caitlin Clark scored a season-low two points on 1-for-12 shooting as the Fever fell behind 25-4 late in the first quarter and never recovered.
Minnesota (33-11), which had already secured the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year, will face New York in a best-of-three first-round matchup starting Sunday. The Liberty beat the Lynx in seven games in the WNBA Finals in 2024.
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