Uncasville, Conn. – The Connecticut Sun registered 17 fast break points and double-digit scoring efforts from four different players en route to a 79-58 preseason victory over the Dallas Wings Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. The win marks the eighth preseason win in a row, dating back to 2016, and their second in two days.
Sun guards Courtney Williams and Jasmine Thomas scored 18 and 12 points, respectively, while both Morgan Tuck and Rachel Banham came off the bench for 10 points each. Second year forward Betnijah Laney also had a strong game, posting eight points to go along with six boards in 18 minutes of action.
“I loved our fight tonight,” head coach Curt Miller said.
Connecticut was second in the league last year in offensive pace, which helped them surge to a fourth-place regular-season finish and their first trip to the playoffs in five years. Miller said that even with new faces on the team, offensive firepower will still be their calling card.
“A big part of our identity is playing fast and getting out in transition,” he said. “We set that tone in the first quarter with our tempo tonight.”
But Thomas said defense will also play a role.
“We have always been a really good transition team, sharing the ball and pushing it,” she said. “We can only do that if we get stops.”
The Sun was able to build the lead by turning mistakes by Dallas into fast break points. The Wings bench accounted for much of their offense with 35 points, including 12 from both Kaela Davis and Ruth Hamblin. Dallas out-rebounded the Sun, 43-38, led by 6-8 forward Liz Cambage with a team-high nine boards.
Williams and Thomas took control of the game early, slicing their way to the basket at will in the first quarter. By the four-minute mark, Connecticut already built a 14-4 lead, powered by eight early points from Williams.
The Sun kept the pressure on the Wings, as their reserves extended the lead to 43-30 to end the half. The visitors cut the deficit to single-digits early on in the second half, but efficient offense from Connecticut propelled them to a large lead, which they maintained.
The Sun played stingy defense, holding Dallas to just 31.5 percent shooting from the field, and they forced 22 turnovers.
Connecticut hits the road for the first time this season to face the Atlanta Dream at 7 p.m. ET Friday.
