OTHER DROP DOWN

Surprising Sun sit atop the Eastern Conference in WNBA

Jun 14, 2015, 11:54 PM

Connecticut Sun head coach Anne Donovan celebrates during the second half of Connecticut’s 82...

Connecticut Sun head coach Anne Donovan celebrates during the second half of Connecticut's 82-64 victory over the Atlanta Dream in a WNBA basketball game in Uncasville, Conn., on Sunday, June 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

(AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

There is no doubt Connecticut is the early surprise of the WNBA season.

The Sun lost Katie Douglas to retirement and Chiney Ogwumike and Allie Hightower to injuries, yet they are sitting tied atop the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 record.

“I think we are (shocking people), but I don’t think we are shocking ourselves,” guard Jasmine Thomas said. “I think that this is exactly what everyone wanted, what we were fighting for and what we were expecting to be doing.”

That said, the Sun will be tested this week as they head West for a three-game swing against the Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury.

“They are long, a lot of travel, aches and pains to deal with but right now when we are playing good, it’s a good time to go to the West Coast,” Thomas said. “The West Coast is always a hard conference, so with the focus we have right now to go there and steal some wins, it will be good.”

The Sun are tied with Washington atop the conference.

The Mystics have been battling injuries with starter Bria Hartley out with a stress fracture in her foot. Kia Vaughn missed Sunday’s win over New York with a concussion. Yet, Mike Thibault’s squad is still finding ways to win, sitting at 3-1.

“I think we should be undefeated,” Thibault said after beating New York. “We gave one away against Atlanta the other night because we did not shoot the ball well. I don’t think there is anything special we are doing against (the New York Liberty), we are just playing pretty good team basketball; particularly on the defensive end.”

Washington held New York to just 59 points to beat the Liberty for a second time this season.

___

Here are other things to keep an eye on around the league:

ROOKIE STRUGGLES: No. 1 draft pick Jewell Loyd hasn’t gotten off to a good start for the Seattle Storm. She’s averaging 6.3 points, but shooting only 22 percent (9 for 41) from the field, including missing all nine of her 3-point tries. Loyd did have 10 points on Sunday against the Sparks in front of her mentor Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles team owner Magic Johnson. Bryant tweeted “Way to play today #rookie #wnba #MambaJewell” The Lakers star sat courtside with Sparks owner Magic Johnson.

TOUCHING TRIBUTE: The Indiana Fever honored Lauren Hill on Sunday. Hill, who died from brain cancer on April 10 at the age of 19, had an inspirational several months in which she lived her dream of playing college basketball for Mount St. Joseph, a Division III school. At the time of her death, Hill’s work had raised $1.4 million for pediatric cancer research, according to the nonprofit group The Cure Starts Now. The Fever donated $300 to the charity for each layup made by both teams during Sunday’s game — a total of $9,600, a Fever spokesman said. An Indiana jersey with Hill’s name and her number 22 at Mount St. Joseph was laid over a chair on the Fever bench during the game.

STAT OF THE WEEK: After Sunday’s 11-point loss to Tulsa, the San Antonio Stars fell to 0-3, their worst start since going 0-5 to begin the 2005 season. San Antonio visits Tulsa on Tuesday before hosting Minnesota on Friday. The Stars are third-to-last in scoring (67.3) and last in rebounding (29.3).

GOING ABROAD: Tiffany Hayes and Aneika Henry will miss the Atlanta Dream’s next five games to compete at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. The duo will play in a 3-on-3 basketball competition for the host country after gaining Azerbaijani citizenship. Hayes and Henry will miss home games against Indiana (June 16), Chicago (June 19), New York (June 21) and Washington (June 26), as well as a road contest June 24 at Chicago. They will return to action when the Dream hosts Seattle on July 5.

GAME OF THE WEEK: In a matchup of two of the top teams in the East and West, Tulsa visits Washington on Friday night. Skylar Diggins has the Shock (3-1) tied for first and off to the best start since the team moved from Detroit in 2010.

___

Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Other Drop Down

FILE – In this July 25, 2015 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak...

Arizona Sports

Trump hosts Women’s British Open as Park resumes slam quest

Inbee Park resuming her quest for the career Grand Slam. Teenage prodigy Lydia Ko seeking that elusive first major. Michelle Wie going for victory with an injured left foot.

9 years ago

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, right, motions to Democratic Reps., from left: Peter Barca; ...

Arizona Sports

Wisconsin Assembly approves Milwaukee Bucks arena deal

The Wisconsin state Assembly voted Tuesday to spend $250 million in public funds on a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks, a deal that both Republicans and Democrats lauded as good for the state and city.

9 years ago

FILE-In this Nov. 13, 2014 file photo former PGA golfer Charlie Sifford sits in the dining room in ...

Arizona Sports

Family of late black golf great accused of $1 million theft

The son and ex-daughter-in-law of late black golf pioneer Charlie Sifford were indicted Tuesday on charges they stole more than $1 million from him.

9 years ago

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Quicken Loans Nat...

Arizona Sports

Michelle Wie limps into her next major

that matched her best result of the year -- she developed a bone spur in her left foot that she attributed to the hilly terrain of Lancaster Country Club.

9 years ago

Lexi Thompson holds the trophy after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic golf tournament Sunday, July 2...

Arizona Sports

Golf’s youth movement means 30 is the new 20

a major -- from an otherwise remarkable record. Ko had never missed the cut in her career until that week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. A month later, she was never in contention at the U.S. Women's Open.

9 years ago

Tiger Woods smiles as he answers a question during a news conference prior to the start of the Quic...

Arizona Sports

Tiger Woods running out of chances to salvage season

Tiger Woods knows he's played poorly over the past two years. Now, he's facing the prospect of an early end to his season.

9 years ago

Surprising Sun sit atop the Eastern Conference in WNBA