2016 Connecticut Sun season

Last updated

2016 Connecticut Sun season
Coach Curt Miller
Arena Mohegan Sun Arena
Attendance6,728 per game
Results
Record14–20 (.412)
Place5th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid Not Qualify
Team Leaders
Points Alex Bentley – 12.9 ppg
Rebounds Chiney Ogwumike – 6.7 rpg
Assists Jasmine Thomas – 5.1 apg

The 2016 WNBA season was the 18th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It was the 14th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season tipped off on May 14 in Chicago versus the Chicago Sky. [1]

Contents

The Sun went 3–0 in the preseason, but could not carry that momentum over to the regular season as they opened with a loss. They won their second game of the season over San Antonio before losing their next four straight games to end May 1–5. Their losing streak extended into June as they lost their first two games before defeating Seattle by a point. The Sun would lose their next three games, including a triple-overtime thriller against Washington 106–109. They defeated San Antonio again to break their losing streak before losing three straight games to finish June 2–8. July started much better for the Sun as they won three of their first four games, matching their win total from the first two months of the season. Their only loss came at home to Atlanta, 63–67. They lost two games and won to games to end the month 5–3. Upon return from the Olympic Break, the Sun went 2–1 in August, defeating Minnesota and San Antonio at home and losing to Atlanta away. They opened September with a win over Phoenix, but lost their next three games. They finished the season with three wins and finished September 4–3. Their 14–20 overall record saw them finish ninth overall, two games out of the final playoff spot.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
13 Morgan Tuck Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Connecticut
14 Rachel Banham Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Minnesota
16 Jonquel Jones Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas George Washington
217 Jamie Weisner Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Oregon State
327 Aliyyah Handford Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States St. John's

Trades/Roster Changes

DateDetails
February 3, 2016Traded Elizabeth Williams to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the 4th Overall Pick in the 2016 WNBA draft [2]
April 14, 20216Traded Chelsea Gray the 15th and 23rds pick in the 2016 draft, and the 4th pick in the 2017 WNBA draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the rights to Jonquel Jones and the 17th pick in the 2016 draft. [3]
June 25, 2016Traded Kelsey Bone to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Courtney Williams, the rights to Jillian Alleyne and the 13th pick in the 2017 draft. [4]

Roster

2016 Connecticut Sun roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G 1 Flag of the United States.svg Banham, Rachel  Cruz Roja.svg5' 10" (1.78m)181 lb (82kg)1993-07-15 Minnesota R
G 20 Flag of the United States.svg Bentley, Alex 5' 7" (1.7m)152 lb (69kg)1990-10-27 Penn State 3
G 34 Flag of the United States.svg Faris, Kelly 5' 11" (1.8m)154 lb (70kg)1991-12-31 Connecticut 3
F/C 15 Flag of Jamaica.svg Henry, Aneika 6' 4" (1.93m)192 lb (87kg)1986-02-13 Florida 4
F/C 35 Flag of the Bahamas.svg Jones, Jonquel 6' 6" (1.98m)215 lb (98kg)1994-01-05 George Washington R
F 2 Flag of the United States.svg Little, Camille 6' 2" (1.88m)180 lb (82kg)1985-01-18 North Carolina 9
F/C 13 Flag of the United States.svg Ogwumike, Chiney 6' 3" (1.91m)183 lb (83kg)1992-03-22 Stanford 1
F 40 Flag of the United States.svg Stricklen, Shekinna 6' 2" (1.88m)230 lb (104kg)1990-07-30 Tennessee 4
F 31 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor, Asia 6' 1" (1.85m)167 lb (76kg)1991-08-22 Louisville 1
F 25 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas, Alyssa 6' 2" (1.88m)203 lb (92kg)1992-04-12 Maryland 2
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas, Jasmine 5' 9" (1.75m)143 lb (65kg)1989-09-30 Duke 5
F 33 Flag of the United States.svg Tuck, Morgan  Cruz Roja.svg6' 2" (1.88m)207 lb (94kg)1994-04-30 Connecticut R
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Williams, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m)142 lb (64kg)1994-05-11 South Florida R
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Curt Miller (Baldwin Wallace)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Nicki Collen (Marquette)
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Smith
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Jeremy Norman (Keene State)
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Tim Yuhas (Connecticut)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Source: [5]

Game log

Preseason

2016 pre-season game log
May: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 4 Chicago W 84–81 Kelsey Bone (15) Alyssa Thomas (7)Bone, A. Thomas, J. Thomas, Tuck (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,207		1–0
2May 5 San Antonio W 76–53 Morgan Tuck (16) Jonquel Jones (12) Kelly Faris (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,025		2–0
3May 8@ Dallas W 82–74 Jonquel Jones (16)Kelly Faris (7) Rachel Banham (7) College Park Center
2,326		3–0
2016 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2016 game log
Total: 14–20 (Home: 8–9; Road: 6–11)
May: 1–5 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 14@ Chicago L 70–93 Alex Bentley (14) A. Thomas, Tuck (7)Alyssa Thomas (4) Allstate Arena
6,719		0–1
2May 19@ San Antonio W 72–68 Camille Little (13) Kelsey Bone (10) Jasmine Thomas (8) AT&T Center
6,267		1–1
3May 21 Washington L 76–84 Alyssa Thomas (18)Kelsey Bone (10)Jasmine Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,022		1–2
4May 26 Los Angeles L 72–77 Jasmine Thomas (17) Chiney Ogwumike (9) Bentley, J. Thomas (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,766		1–3
5May 28@ Seattle L 81–93 Jasmine Thomas (17)Jasmine Thomas (5)Camille Little (6) KeyArena
4,456		1–4
6May 31@ Phoenix L 90–99 Camille Little (16)Kelsey Bone (8)Jasmine Thomas (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena
8,412		1–5
June : 2–8 (Home: 2–4; Road: 0–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
7June 3 Atlanta L 77–83 Alex Bentley (16) Kelsey Bone (7) Jasmine Thomas (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,541		1–6
8June 5 Indiana L 77–88 Alyssa Thomas (20) Jonquel Jones (9) Rachel Banham (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,346		1–7
9June 10 Seattle W 77–76 Morgan Tuck (20)Alyssa Thomas (9)Alyssa Thomas (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
8,075		2–7
10June 12@ Atlanta L 87–93 Jasmine Thomas (19)Bentley, Ogwumike, Tuck (6)Bentley, Thomas (5) Philips Arena
4,486		2–8
11June 14 Washington L 106–109 3OT Alex Bentley (31)Kelsey Bone (11) Camille Little (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,442		2–9
12June 16 New York L 72–80 Alex Bentley (16)Kelsey Bone (7)Kelsey Bone (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,786		2–10
13June 19 San Antonio W 90–83 Alex Bentley (29)Jones, J. Thomas (9)Jasmine Thomas (10) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,596		3–10
14June 24@ Seattle L 81–98 Alex Bentley (13)Alyssa Thomas (6)Alex Bentley (4) KeyArena
6,568		3–11
15June 26@ Los Angeles L 73–80 Chiney Ogwumike (16)Alyssa Thomas (9)Alyssa Thomas (7) Staples Center
9,441		3–12
16June 29@ Phoenix L 75–86 Alex Bentley (20)Jonquel Jones (9)Alex Bentley (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena
10,551		3–13
July : 5–3 (Home: 1–2; Road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
17July 2@ Dallas W 86–83 Alex Bentley (24) Chiney Ogwumike (9) Jasmine Thomas (7) College Park Center
5,108		4–13
18July 7 Minnesota W 93–83 Alex Bentley (24)Chiney Ogwumike (7)Jasmine Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,739		5–13
19July 10 Atlanta L 63–67 Alyssa Thomas (19)Ogwumike, J. Thomas (5)Alex Bentley (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,857		5–14
20July 13@ Indiana W 86–64 Chiney Ogwumike (20)Chiney Ogwumike (8)Jasmine Thomas (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
12,272		6–14
21July 15 Los Angeles L 92–98 Alyssa Thomas (17)Chiney Ogwumike (13)Bentley, J. Thomas, Little (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,430		6–15
22July 17@ New York L 76–83 Chiney Ogwumike (18)Chiney Ogwumike (10)Jasmine Thomas (6) Madison Square Garden
9,464		6–16
23July 20@ Dallas W 89–78 Chiney Ogwumike (26)Chiney Ogwumike (15) Morgan Tuck (5) College Park Center
4,873		7–16
24July 22@ Chicago W 94–89 Alex Bentley (21) Jonquel Jones (10)Jasmine Thomas (8) Allstate Arena
6,893		8–16
August : 2–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
25August 26 Minnesota W 84–80 Alyssa Thomas (15) Chiney Ogwumike (10) Jasmine Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,381		9–16
26August 28@ Atlanta L 73–87 Chiney Ogwumike (24) Courtney Williams (7)Jasmine Thomas (4) Philips Arena
7,055		9–17
27August 30 San Antonio W 89–62 Alex Bentley (21)Alyssa Thomas (7) Camille Little (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,291		10–17
September : 4–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
28September 2 Phoenix W 87–74 Chiney Ogwumike (22)Chiney Ogwumike (10) Jasmine Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,709		11–17
29September 4@ Minnesota L 79–93 Alex Bentley (16) Jonquel Jones (11)Alex Bentley (6) Target Center
7,632		11–18
30September 9@ New York L 82–89 Ogwumike, Williams (20)Chiney Ogwumike (9)Jasmine Thomas (4) Madison Square Garden
9,482		11–19
31September 11 Chicago Sky L 86–96 Jasmine Thomas (20)Chiney Ogwumike (10)Jasmine Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,620		11–20
32September 13 Indiana W 89–87 Jasmine Thomas (21) A. Thomas, J. Thomas (5)Jasmine Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,407		12–20
33September 16 Dallas W 107–74 Little, Williams (15)Chiney Ogwumike (13)Jasmine Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,228		13–20
34September 18@ Washington W 87–78 Jonquel Jones (21)Ogwumike, A. Thomas (10)Jasmine Thomas (10) Verizon Center
8,991		14–20
2016 season schedule

Standings

Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
3 - New York Liberty 2113.618—10–711–611–5
4 - Chicago Sky 1816.529311–67–108–8
5 - Indiana Fever 1717.50048–99–88–8
6 - Atlanta Dream 1717.500411–66–119–7
e - Connecticut Sun 1420.41278–96–114–12
e - Washington Mystics 1321.38285–128–98–8

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Jasmine Thomas WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week September 19, 2016 [6]
All-Defensive Second Team September 30, 2016 [7]

Statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Alex Bentley 343428.838.5%28.6%78.5%1.92.50.90.112.9
Chiney Ogwumike 331824.358.7%—71.9%6.70.71.01.012.6
Jasmine Thomas 343432.140.8%29.7%86.1%4.15.11.30.411.7
Alyssa Thomas 313127.148.7%—63.4%6.02.31.40.211.1
Kelsey Bone 141323.943.3%26.7%66.7%5.41.30.70.210.7
Courtney Williams 19017.242.7%30.8%57.9%3.61.50.60.28.1
Camille Little 332924.638.4%32.2%63.2%3.02.01.20.37.8
Morgan Tuck 26316.741.4%30.4%71.1%2.81.10.40.17.0
Jonquel Jones 34614.153.1%33.3%73.9%3.70.60.61.16.8
Shekinna Stricklen 28010.936.5%35.1%64.3%1.40.50.40.14.0
Rachel Banham 15010.940.8%35.1%66.7%0.70.90.50.13.7
Asia Taylor 404.360.0%—85.7%1.00.80.00.03.0
Kelly Faris 31010.239.6%25.0%93.3%1.20.70.70.12.0
Aneika Henry 1025.038.5%—40.0%1.40.20.10.11.2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Sparks</span> Womens basketball team

The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks were founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began. Like some other WNBA teams, the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart, even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Sun</span> American professional basketball team in Uncasville, Connecticut

The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is currently the only major league professional sports team based in Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Storm</span> American professional womens basketball team

The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season. The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, along with former player Sue Bird.

The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player(s) with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nneka Ogwumike</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks first overall in the 2012 WNBA draft and signed an endorsement deal with Nike soon after. Ogwumike spent 12 seasons with the Sparks and was named WNBA MVP for the 2016 WNBA season and won the WNBA Finals the same year. She was named to The W25, the league's list of the top 25 players of its first 25 years, in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiney Ogwumike</span> Nigerian-American basketball player (born 1992)

ChinenyeJoy "Chiney" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2020, she became the first Black woman and the first WNBA player to host a national radio show for ESPN. She was one of the first and youngest commentators ever to be named an NBA analyst for the network covering the NBA, WNBA, and variety of sports, while simultaneously playing in the WNBA. Chiney is a graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in International relations. She played in three Final Fours and finished as the conference leader in scoring and rebounding as of January 3, 2014. As of 2016, Ogwumike was elected vice-president of the WNBA Players Association, and signed an endorsement deal with Adidas. In May 2018, Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN to become a full-time basketball analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 WNBA All-Star Game</span>

The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 19, 2014 at the venue then known as US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, the current home of the Phoenix Mercury. This was the 12th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, and was played during the 2014 WNBA season. This was the second time the event had been held in Phoenix, the other being the 2000 game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Gray</span> American basketball player (born 1992)

Chelsea Nichelle Gray is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the eleventh pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She missed the 2014 WNBA season due to injury, but she made her debut with the Sun in the 2015 WNBA season. Gray won her first title with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. She won her second title with the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals, where she was named Finals MVP. She won gold medals for 5x5 basketball at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

The 2016 WNBA season was the 20th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 14 when the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings and concluded on September 18, with a Seattle Storm defeat of the Chicago Sky.

The 2016 WNBA season was the 19th season for the Dallas Wings franchise in the Women's National Basketball Association. It was their first in Dallas, Texas after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the third season under head coach Fred Williams.

The 2016 WNBA season was the 20th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 15 at home, against the Seattle Storm.

The 2016 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx was the 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx were the defending WNBA champions. Their 2016 roster included five competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as seven current or previous all-stars with 22 total past selections to the all-star game between them.

The 2016 WNBA season was the 17th season for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 1.

The 2016 WNBA season was the 20th season for the San Antonio Stars franchise of the WNBA. The season tipped-off at home against the Atlanta Dream on May 14, 2016. The season was their fourteenth for the franchise in San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 WNBA All-Star Game</span>

The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time.

The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association.

The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on July 25, 2020, versus the Phoenix Mercury.

The 2021 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 14, 2021, versus the Dallas Wings.

The 2024 season for the Seattle Storm, a professional American basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, was their 25th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It was their third full season with Noelle Quinn as head coach. The Storm play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle; the 2024 season was their first at a new training facility, the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance in Interbay.

References

  1. ↑ "2016 Connecticut Sun Schedule". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Seattle Connecticut Sun trade F/C Elizabeth Williams to Dream for No. 4 draft pick". ESPN . ESPN. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Sparks acquire Riquna Williams in swap of high picks with Wings". ESPN . ESPN. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ Knight, Joey (June 26, 2016). "Courtney Williams traded to Connecticut". Tampa Bay Times . Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "2016 Connecticut Sun Stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Sun's Jasmine Thomas, Sparks' Nneka Ogwumike Named Players of the Week" (Press release). WNBA. September 19, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike Headline 2016 WNBA All-Defensive Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 30, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.