A 23-point performance from Alyssa Thomas, a Double-Double from

Jonquel Jones, and a swarming Connecticut defense all added up to an

Opening Night 84-69 victory for the Sun over the Mystics. (Photo by

Bob Phillips)

By Bob Phillips









The Sun led by four at the first turn, and entered the locker room with a three-point lead, 44-41, at halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Sun began to pull away, outscoring the Mystics 23-12 and Connecticut never looked back.





“We knew they were a third-quarter team coming in,” said the Mystics’ Shatori Walker Kimbrough. “They did what they had to do, and we had a hard time adjusting to it. But we will continue to learn from it. Kudos; hats off to them.”





Jonquel Jones, who might as well have “Double-Double” as a middle name, indeed registered a Double-D in her first game this season with 10 points and 14 rebounds. JJ also added three blocked shots and two steals to her bottom line. Jasmine Thomas also scored in double digits for the Sun with 13, to go along with six assists and three boards. Former UConn star Morgan Tuck added eight points off the bench for the Sun, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Tuck also had two rebounds.





Emma Meesseman led the Washington effort with 14 points. She was joined in double-digits by teammates Kristi Toliver, who had 14, Walker-Kimbrough, with 11, and Ariel Atkins with 10. The Mystics, of course, are coached by former Sun head coach Mike Thibault.





“Great start for us,” said Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller after the game. “[The Mystics are] one of my favorites. They have so many great weapons. They had us on our heels in transition all night to their credit. They are one of the best shooting teams in the league, and they missed some open shots tonight.”





Not to mention that the Sun caught a humongous break when Mystics superstar Elena Delle Donne did not make the trip in order to nurse a jammed left knee—the same one that hobbled her in last year’s WNBA playoffs. Forward Aerial Powers also stayed home with a left gluteal injury, and Washington’s top draft pick, guard Kiara Leslie, was also among the missing for the Mystics as she continues to rehab her right knee after surgery to repair a torn meniscus.





Former Sun head coach Mike Thibault was back in town, but it was

his former team that prevailed in this game. (Photo by Bob Phillips)

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Toliver joined the Mystics’ M*A*S*H unit with an injured right leg, sitting out most of the fourth quarter with an ice bag wrapped around her knee.





“It’s hard, but everybody goes through it,” said Thibault, who coached the Sun from 2003-2012, and is a three-time WNBA Coach of the Year. “Hopefully it only lasts a short amount of time at the start of the year and we get better as we go [along]. It’s ugly to watch, and when Kristi got hurt… I’m a little concerned about it. We will see when she gets home and sees the docs.”





Alyssa Thomas, meanwhile, was nearly unstoppable at times.





“She’s playing at a four position [power forward],” said JJ. “She’s a post player [and] she’s able to just take the ball and dribble. For most post players, someone that good, coming at you downhill, it’s unstoppable. She hs the spin move when you try to body her, and she’s strong. If you try to body her, she can finish with both hands.”





The Sun will next play the Indiana Fever at home on Tuesday. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena will be at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network and NESN+. Tickets starting at $10 are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, or by clicking HERE

—with staff reports

Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 23 points to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 84-69 victory over the Washington Mystics before 7,913 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday night. It was the season opener for both teams, and was the first game streamed live under the WNBA’s new deal with Twitter.