The Connecticut Sun took a surprising 1-0 lead over the defending champion Chicago Sky on Sunday with a 68-63 win in Game 1 of their best-of-five semi-final series. This was the Sun’s first win over the Sky this season after going 0-4 in the regular season.
Right from the opening tip, the Sun set the tone and were able to keep the Sky off balance for much of the night. Instead of a beautiful game, the Sun were able to turn it into a scrap that was determined by defense, physicality and effort. But while the Sun led for much of the night, they were never able to pull away and needed a last-second miss by Candace Parker to ensure they escaped with the win.
DeWanna Bonner had a rough night shooting the ball but contributed in all other aspects of the game as she led the way for the Sun with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Alyssa Thomas added 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a near triple-double, and Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones had 12 points a piece.
Candace Parker led the way for Chicago with a spectacular performance that was right up there amongst the best in league history. She went for 19 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, four steals and six blocks. Though she just missed out on a vaunted 5×5 performance, she did become the first player in league history with at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks.
