By Bob Phillips

Jonquel Jones led the way with 22 points and seven boards as the Sun

routed the Dallas Wings, 102-72.









After a slow start, the Sun opened an eight-point lead, 24-16, at the first turn and never looked back. Connecticut enjoyed a 49-26 advantage at halftime and pulled further away at the third. As they entered the fourth and final quarter leading 73-46, victory was in the air.





Then, in the fourth quarter, former UConn star Morgan Tuck, who had just five points to that point, poured in 12 more points. Game, set, match. Playoffs, here we come.





“I think tonight was a perfect game for our team,” said Tuck. “We didn’t play perfect, but we clinched a top 2 seed and had a lot of fun doing it.”





Arike Ogunowale, the first-year guard out of Notre Dame and a leading candidate for WNBA Rookie of the Year accolades, led all scorers with 32 points. Indeed, the first-year guard out of Notre Dame scored 14 of the Wings’ 26 first-half points—a half in which her teammates shot just 29 percent (5-for-17 from the field). Allisha Gray added 15 points for Dallas, which fell to 10-22.





Besides JJ’s 22 and Tuck’s 17, Alyssa Thomas (13), Shekinna Stricklen (11), Rachel Banham (11) and Jasmine Thomas (10) scored in double digits for the home team.





“Proud of that locker room tonight,” said Connecticut head coach and GM Curt Miller, himself a candidate for WNBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year recognition. Miller was particularly happy with his team’s shooting performance (36-for-63 from the field, for a scorching 57.1 percent; that included an 11-for-25 performance from beyond the three-point arc).





Courtney Williams and her Sun teammates will get a breather when the

WNBA playoffs start. The Sun are guaranteed at least a No. 2 seed, which

gives Connecticut byes in the first and second rounds.

“Tonight we shot the ball fantastically,” he continued. “We were really efficient offensively. We did a really good job screening and that contributed to a lot of actions that worked for us tonight.”





And while he was happy with his team’s overall defensive performance—the Sun’s calling card all season long, he nonetheless sees room for improvement. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be a coach, right?





“We were solid in stretches defensively when we needed to be,” said Miller. “We need to be better overall. Big win means that coveted spot was huge tonight.”





With the win, the Sun improve to 23-9, and trail the 24-8 Mystics by one game for that elusive No. 1 seed.





“We’re excited to be the 2 seed right now; hopefully we can bump it up,” said J.J. “But it’s a blessing and I think we’ve worked really hard. It just shows that it’s a combination of everybody’s effort.”





Nailing down at least a 2 seed was an important goal for the Sun as the top two seeds earn first- and second-round byes and spots in the WNBA best-of-five semifinal series. The first two rounds are of the one-and-done variety.





“We were very vocal going into the season on the coveted one and two spots,” continued Miller. “Once the season got started, we didn’t talk much about it until that goal was tangible and reachable here at the end of the season. But we know what that does for us and we wanted to take the next step. I give them credit. They’ve grinded the entire year to give them that opportunity.”





The Sun return to action for their last regular season home game on Friday when they host the Chicago Sky. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on NESN+. Connecticut concludes the regular season on the road on Sunday, Sept. 8. When the Sun travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Fever. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on on The CW, WCCT channel 20. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ConnecticutSun.com.





Playoff Tix On Sale





Tickets for the Sun’s semifinal round went on sale today at noon. Games 1 and 2 of the WNBA Semifinals will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 19. Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five series will be hosted by the lower seed on Sept. 22 and 24, respectively. If necessary, Game 5 will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday, Sept. 26. Game times and broadcast information are TBD. Tickets start at $23. Fans can purchase by visiting ConnecticutSun.com.





The Sun will play one of the winners to the WNBA’s two second-round, single-elimination playoff games. Those games are scheduled for Sun., Sept. 15. For a complete breakdown of the WNBA Playoff format and standings, visit the Connecticut Sun’s Playoff Central on ConnecticutSun.com.





Hurricane Relief





All cash sales from the Sun’s first playoff game on Sept. 17 will benefit victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. The non-profit will be selected at the conclusion of the WNBA season. The Sun’s All-Star forward Jonquel Jones, a native of the Bahamas, has also established a GoFundMe page to assist the recovery efforts as well. In just over 24 hours, Jones has raised $22k.





“We get caught up in wins, losses, postseason seeding—and then Hurricane Dorian happens and it provides immediate perspective about what’s important,” said Vice President of Sports Amber Cox. “JJ is a special player, but even better person. Immediately when the storm hit the Bahamas, our fans, her teammates and coaches and the entire organization wanted to help. This generous donation to a deserving non-profit assisting the recovery efforts in the Bahamas is really an indicator of what the Mohegan Tribe is all about—people and family above all. The support we receive is truly unmatched.”

—with staff reports

No one expected this one to be much of a game and ultimately it wasn’t. Behind a 22-point, seven-rebound performance from Jonquel Jones, the Connecticut Sun routed the Dallas Wings, 102-72, before 6,284 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena and a national television audience on the CBS Sports Network on Wednesday night. The 102 points were the high-water mark for the Sun thus far this season.