Perhaps not surprisingly, the Connecticut Sun were a much different team to play against Tuesday night.
The Lynx at Connecticut for the second time in three days, a rematch of Minnesota’s Sunday upset.
No upset this time.
The Sun (19-7) executed better on offense and clamped down defensively in the paint in a 77-69 victory at Mohegan Sun Arena.
It was a history-making performance for Connecticut post Alyssa Thomas, who had 21 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 12 assists. It was her second straight triple-double, and she became the first player in league history in two categories: The first player to have multiple back-to-back triple double games, and the first to have at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same game. Tyasha Harris had 17 off the bench for the Sun.
This time all that translated into a victory.
The Sun broke an 18-18 tie to end the first half on a 19-12 run and never trailed again.
On Sunday the Sun shot south of 39%. Tuesday they were 36-for-72 (50.0%). Sunday the Lynx shot 57.4% — the highest by a Sun opponent this season. Tuesday they shot 39.0%.
Lindsay Allen led the Lynx with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Kayla McBride had 15, Diamond Miller 13.
The Lynx were within eight entering the fourth quarter, but went 0-for-3 with two turnovers as Connecticut pushed the lead to 14.
The Lynx (13-14) had their three-game winning streak — the last two accomplished with star Napheesa Collier out with a sprained ankle — ended.
After scoring 52 points in the paint Sunday, the Lynx scored 30 there Tuesday. And turnovers were an issue, with the Sun enjoying a 22-7 edge on points off turnovers.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.