Saniya Rivers led Connecticut with 17 points off the bench, as the Sun’s reserves totaled 45 points to fuel an 80-69 road win over the Washington Mystics Tuesday night.
The win marks only Connecticut’s seventh victory of the year — its first on the road since May 30 — and deals a blow to a Washington team firmly in the playoff hunt.
Connecticut forced 15 Washington turnovers and capitalized, scoring 21 points off the giveaways. The Mystics notched only 10 points on 10 Sun turnovers.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 15 points off the bench for Connecticut, while Tina Charles was the only starter in double-digits with 13 points.
All-Star rookie guard Sonia Citron tallied 19 points, passing Chamique Holdsclaw for the most points in a rookie season in Mystics history. Shakira Austin added 12 points.
The Mystics and Sun made a trade at the deadline, with Washington sending forward Aaliyah Edwards to Connecticut in exchange for guard Jacy Sheldon.
Sheldon was out with an ankle injury, while Edwards added eight points and four rebounds off the bench.
The Sun ended the first half on a 9-0 run and extended their scoring stretch to 13-0 in the third quarter. An Austin layup at the 8:49 mark of the third snapped the streak, cutting the lead to 51-37.
Citron cashed a three-pointer with 6:53 left in the quarter to cut Connecticut’s lead to single digits. Washington pulled within six points before a pair of Nelson-Ododa free throws and a Leila Lacan jumper put the Sun up 59-49 at the 2:20 mark.
The Sun preserved their lead in the fourth, with each team notching 18 points in the frame.
Washington and Connecticut traded runs in the first quarter.
After the Sun gained a 5-4 lead, the Mystics rattled off 11 unanswered to claim a 15-5 advantage. Jade Melbourne, in her 100th career game, started the game 4-for-4 from the field and led the Mystics with eight points in the first half.
Connecticut, fueled by Rivers, outscored Washington 16-8 over the remainder of the first frame. The Sun continued their run in the second quarter, taking a 47-35 lead into halftime.
Connecticut’s bench contributed 28 of its 47 first-half points, while Washington got only seven points off the bench in the first two quarters.
–Field Level Media
