Marina Mabrey poured in 34 points and the Connecticut Sun picked up a much-needed outcome by defeating the Atlanta Dream 84-76 on Friday night at Uncasville, Conn.
Tina Charles contributed 19 points and Bria Hartley racked up 11 points for the Sun (2-6), who were 48-point losers to New York in their most-recent previous game. Friday’s contest was part of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Mabrey had 27 points through three quarters and went on to reach the 30-point mark for the first time this season. She finished 13-for-22 from the field with three 3-point baskets. She drained a pair of free throws for an 82-73 advantage at the 35-second mark.
Brittney Griner and Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 18 points apiece. Naz Hillmon came off the bench to notch 14 points and Allisha Gray added 11 points, but Atlanta (5-3) couldn’t overcome 41.2-percent shooting from the field as its four-game winning streak ended. Howard had six assists.
The Sun pulled away by outscoring Atlanta 14-7 across nearly the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to build a 76-68 lead. That allowed Connecticut to maintain a multi-possession lead despite going more than two minutes without scoring.
Mabrey went 3-for-8 on 3-pointers, while the rest of the Connecticut team combined to go 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. She had 12 third-quarter points despite a confrontation with Hillmon late in the period after she was called for an offensive foul.
Griner, who was limited to one field goal in 15 minutes in her last outing after missing the previous game with a knee injury, shot 7-for-10 from the field and also grabbed six rebounds. Atlanta had a full week off since its last game.
The Dream committed 12 turnovers, one more than the Sun. Other than a 26-point third quarter, Atlanta didn’t get to the 20-point mark in any of the other quarters.
Mabrey scored Connecticut’s last six points of the first half as the Sun took a 36-35 lead to the break despite a 1-for-8 mark on 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
