2018 Connecticut Sun season

Last updated

2018 Connecticut Sun season
Coach Curt Miller
Arena Mohegan Sun Arena
Attendance6,626 per game
Results
Record21–13 (.618)
Place3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish4th seed, Lost in Second Round to Phoenix Mercury 86–96
Team Leaders
Points Chiney Ogwumike – 14.4 ppg
Rebounds Alyssa Thomas – 8.1 rpg
Assists Jasmine Thomas – 4.8 apg
Media
Television NBC Sports Boston and WCCT-TV

The 2018 WNBA season is the 20th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It is also the 16th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season tipped off on May 13. [1]

Contents

The Sun got off to a strong start, going 3–0 in May. All three wins were at home. In June, the Sun started strong, winning their first 4 of 5. However, they lost 5 of their next 7 games to finish 6–6 on the month. That skid included a 1–4 road trip, where all losses came 4 of eventual top 5 playoff teams. Their up and down season continued into July, where the Sun were 5–6. July started with another tough road trip where the Sun went 1–3. From there the Sun couldn't get a streak going; losing 2 then winning 2 then losing 2 again. The Sun surged in August posting a 7–1 record, including going 6–0 at home. Their only loss came on the road to Chicago. The Sun finished 21–13, which earned them the 4th seed in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs. Their playoff run fell short when they lost at home in the second round 86–96. This was the Sun's only playoff game, as they earned a first round bye.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
19 Lexie Brown Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Duke
333 Mikayla Cowling Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States California

Trades/Roster Changes

DateDetails
February 2, 2018Acquired C Cayla George via trade from the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for 21st pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. [2]
February 7, 2018Signed G Leticia Romero [3]
April 12, 2018Sun receive Bria Holmes in exchange for 15th pick in 2018 WNBA Draft and a second round pick in 2019 WNBA draft. [4]
July 9, 2018Sun receive Layshia Clarendon and a second round pick in 2019 WNBA draft in exchange for Alex Bentley. [5]

Roster

2018 Connecticut Sun roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G 1 Flag of the United States.svg Banham, Rachel 5' 9" (1.75m)168 lb (76kg)1993-07-15 Minnesota 2
G 4 Flag of the United States.svg Brown, Lexie 5' 9" (1.75m)1994-10-27 Duke R
G 23 Flag of the United States.svg Clarendon, Layshia 5' 9" (1.75m)158 lb (72kg)1991-05-02 California 5
G 32 Flag of the United States.svg Holmes, Bria 6' 1" (1.85m)170 lb (77kg)1994-04-19 West Virginia 2
F 35 Flag of the Bahamas.svg Jones, Jonquel 6' 6" (1.98m)190 lb (86kg)1994-01-05 George Washington 2
C 42 Flag of the United States.svg Jones, Brionna 6' 3" (1.91m)230 lb (104kg)1995-12-18 Maryland 1
G/F 44 Flag of the United States.svg Laney, Betnijah 6' 0" (1.83m)160 lb (73kg)1993-10-29 Rutgers 2
F 13 Flag of the United States.svg Ogwumike, Chiney 6' 4" (1.93m)173 lb (78kg)1992-03-22 Stanford 2
G/F 40 Flag of the United States.svg Stricklen, Shekinna 6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)1990-07-30 Tennessee 6
F 25 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas, Alyssa 6' 2" (1.88m)185 lb (84kg)1992-04-12 Maryland 4
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas, Jasmine 5' 9" (1.75m)145 lb (66kg)1989-09-30 Duke 7
F 33 Flag of the United States.svg Tuck, Morgan 6' 2" (1.88m)200 lb (91kg)1994-04-30 Connecticut 2
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Williams, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m)136 lb (62kg)1994-05-11 South Florida 2
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Curt Miller (Baldwin Wallace)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Brandi Poole
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Smith
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Game log

Preseason

2018 pre-season game log
May: 3–0 (Home: 3–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 7 Los Angeles W 68–65 J. Thomas (12) Ogwumike (8)Tied (2) Mohegan Sun Arena
1–0
2May 8 Dallas W 79–58 Williams (18) A. Thomas (12) A. Thomas (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
3,695		2–0
3May 11 Atlanta W 74–58 Bentley (13)3 Tied (5) J. Thomas (3) Webster Bank Arena
1,610		3–0
2018 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2018 game log
Total: 21–13 (Home: 13–4; Road: 8–9)
May: 3–0 (Home: 3–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 20 Las Vegas W 101–65 Bentley (18) A. Thomas (17) J. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,637		1–0
2May 24 Los Angeles W 102–94 Ogwumike (18) A. Thomas (9) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,571		2–0
3May 26 Indiana W 86–77 A. Thomas (21) Ogwumike (8) Williams (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,843		3–0
June : 6–6 (Home: 2–1; Road: 4–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
4June 1@ Chicago W 110–72 Tied (20) A. Thomas (13) J. Thomas (8) Wintrust Arena
4,131		4–0
5June 3@ Washington W 88–64 J. Thomas (25) Williams (10) A. Thomas (4) Capital One Arena
5,176		5–0
6June 5@ Atlanta L 77–82 A. Thomas (19) A. Thomas (17) A. Thomas (7) McCamish Pavilion
2,830		5–1
7June 7@ New York W 88–86 J. Thomas (19)3 Tied (9) J. Thomas (8) Westchester County Center
1,581		6–1
8June 9 Minnesota W 89–75 Williams (22)Tied (11)Tied (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,771		7–1
9June 13 Washington L 91–95 Williams (34) Ogwumike (13) J. Thomas (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
7–2
10June 15@ Seattle L 92–103 Ogwumike (30) J. Jones (8) J. Thomas (6) KeyArena
7,094		7–3
11June 16@ Phoenix L 72–89 Tuck (20) Williams (6) Banham (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,497		7–4
12June 22@ Atlanta L 70–75 Bentley (18) J. Jones (7)Tied (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,047		7–5
13June 24@ Indiana W 87–78 Banham (20) B. Jones (10) Bentley (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5,458		8–5
14June 26@ Washington L 80–92 Ogwumike (17) Ogwumike (11) Bentley (6) Capital One Arena
4,139		8–6
15June 27 Indiana W 101–89 Tied (21) Ogwumike (10) J. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,112		9–6
July : 5–6 (Home: 2–3; Road: 3–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
16July 1@ Seattle L 70–84 Bentley (15)4 Tied (6) Bentley (4) KeyArena
9,307		9–7
17July 3@ Los Angeles W 73–72 Ogwumike (21)Tied (7) Banham (6) Staples Center
6,280		10–7
18July 5@ Phoenix L 77–84 3 Tied (11) Tuck (8)3 Tied (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena
8,599		10–8
19July 7@ Las Vegas L 90–94 Tuck (20) Ogwumike (11) J. Thomas (8) Mandalay Bay Events Center
3,363		10–9
20July 11 New York L 76–79 Ogwumike (17) A. Thomas (10) Williams (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,413		10–10
21July 13 Phoenix W 91–87 Williams (25) Williams (10) A. Thomas (10) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,696		11–10
22July 15@ Minnesota W 83–64 Tuck (15) Williams (8) Clarendon (5) Target Center
9,234		12–10
23July 17 Atlanta L 83–86 J. Jones (19) A. Thomas (10) J. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,555		12–11
24July 20 Seattle L 65–78 Ogwumike (21) Ogwumike (12) Banham (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,908		12–12
25July 22@ Dallas W 92–75 Stricklen (24) A. Thomas (8) J. Thomas (9) College Park Center
4,935		13–12
26July 24 Washington W 94–68 J. Jones (23) Williams (10) Williams (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,125		14–12
August : 7–1 (Home: 6–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27August 1 New York W 92–77 J. Jones (21) A. Thomas (12) Williams (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,412		15–12
28August 5 Las Vegas W 109–88 J. Thomas (30)Tied (7) Williams (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,791		16–12
29August 8@ Dallas W 101–92 A. Thomas (22) Williams (10) J. Thomas (9) College Park Center
3,483		17–12
30August 10@ Chicago L 86–97 Ogwumike (18)Tied (6)Tied (3) Wintrust Arena
5,976		17–13
31August 12 Chicago W 82–75 Williams (22) J. Jones (15) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,687		18–13
32August 14 Dallas W 96–76 J. Jones (27) J. Jones (10) J. Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,365		19–13
33August 17 Minnesota W 96–79 J. Jones (26)Tied (8) A. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,089		20–13
34August 19 Los Angeles W 89–86 J. Thomas (27) J. Jones (9) J. Jones (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
8,040		21–13
2018 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Total: 0–1(Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
WNBA Second Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1August 23 Phoenix L 86–96 Williams (27) Williams (8) J. Jones (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,858		0–1
2018 playoff schedule

Standings

# Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Atlanta Dream (2)2311.676–13–410–712–4
2 Washington Mystics (3)2212.647112–510–712–4
3 Connecticut Sun (4)2113.618213–48–99–7
4e – Chicago Sky 1321.382107–106–116–10
5e – New York Liberty 727.206164–133–146–10
6e – Indiana Fever 628.176172–154–133–13

Playoffs

First round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 21)		Second round:
Single elimination
(Aug. 23)		Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)		 WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)
1 Seattle Storm 9191668494
4 Connecticut Sun 865 Phoenix Mercury 8787868684
5 Phoenix Mercury 1015 Phoenix Mercury 961 Seattle Storm 897598
8 Dallas Wings 833 Washington Mystics 767382
2 Atlanta Dream 8478817681
3 Washington Mystics 963 Washington Mystics 8775769786
6 Los Angeles Sparks 756 Los Angeles Sparks 64
7 Minnesota Lynx 68

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Alyssa Thomas WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the WeekMay 29, 2018 [6]
Chiney Ogwumike WNBA All-Star SelectionJuly 17, 2018 [7]
Jonquel Jones WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the WeekAugust 20, 2018 [8]
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award August 23, 2018 [9]

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
Chiney Ogwumike 313125.5.603.500.7977.31.01.20.614.4
Jasmine Thomas 343428.1.398.311.8553.34.81.10.212.9
Courtney Williams 302927.1.456.377.6805.93.00.80.112.6
Jonquel Jones 341620.5.550.467.6715.51.70.11.211.8
Alyssa Thomas 242430.6.464.000.5478.14.21.20.410.3
Shekinna Stricklen 343018.8.430.430.8572.30.50.60.16.6
Morgan Tuck 34113.6.473.349.8262.30.50.40.15.9
Layshia Clarendon 15015.9.492.000.8261.62.70.50.05.4
Rachel Banham 33512.8.414.370.8680.91.50.50.15.2
Brionna Jones 2709.0.469.000.7272.00.20.20.23.1
Betnijah Laney 2909.3.471.111.9091.70.70.40.02.7
Lexie Brown 2205.6.273.310.5710.80.50.30.01.7

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References

  1. ↑ "2018 Connecticut Sun Schedule". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Phoenix sends Cayla George to Connecticut for 21st-overal pick in WNBA draft". sun.wnba.com. February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Romero Signs With Connecticut". sun.wnba.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Atlanta Dream Trade Bria Holmes to Connecticut Sun". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Dream Trade Layshia Clarendon, Draft Pick to Sun For Alex Bentley". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Jones, Bonner Named Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones Named 2018 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year". wnba.com. WNBA. August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
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