Led by DeWanna Bonner, the Connecticut Sun beat the Atlanta Dream

UNCASVILLE — Alyssa Thomas spotted DeWanna Bonner open on the outside and passed the ball to her. In one quick motion, Bonner caught her fiancée’s pass and brought the ball up, dropping it from the 3-point line. Her shooting arm was still raised in the air as the ball fell through the net.

About 30 seconds later, Bonner hit another three-pointer from the opposite end of the court. His sixth of the game.

The Connecticut Sun’s star forward turned to the crowd and waved her arm up and down, demanding that the cheers be louder. On the bench, Bonner’s teammates jumped and screamed before rushing onto the court to embrace her. Atlanta, trailing by 20 points, called a timeout.

Allisha Gray met Bonner after the game and joked, “You didn’t have to make all those 3-pointers.”

“You all beat us last time. We needed it,” Bonner said, recalling the moment later to the media.

Just over a week ago, the Dream beat a depleted Connecticut Sun on their home court at Mohegan Sun Arena. But on Sunday, the Sun won the rematch 80-67 thanks to a career performance from Bonner and the relentless consistency of his entire team.

“I liked the way we responded,” Bonner said. “… It just shows the character of this team. We really wanted to win this game and get this win back, but we felt like we blew an opportunity. Kudos to Atlanta for winning on their home turf (last time).”

Bonner led the team with 23 points, making 7 of 9 three-pointers, a new career-high in a game. Tiffany Mitchell followed with 13 points as a substitute and Brionna Jones added 11 points. Thomas finished with seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Connecticut finished with a season-high 10 three-pointers made with all 10 available players present.

Gray led the Dream (7-13) with 19 points, followed by former UConn women’s basketball star Tina Charles with 13 points and a team-best four assists.

Connecticut (17-4) has now won three in a row while Atlanta has lost its last four. The Sun has three games remaining before the Olympic break later this month.

“Every player that came out in the game had an impact on the game,” Suns head coach Stephanie White said. “It was important for us to continue to strengthen our roster and make an impact on the game. So this is a big win for us. Certainly, our time this month, heading into the Olympic break, is tough. And we have to continue to work to get better and I feel like today was another step in the right direction.”

The last time Connecticut hosted Atlanta, it was in the second half of a two-game set for the Sun. The team had traveled to the West Coast and played an overtime thriller in Washington the night before facing the Dream. The exhaustion was overwhelming as Atlanta beat Connecticut for the win.

This time, however, the Sun had enough leverage to keep up with Atlanta’s speed and physical power down low.

Much like the last time the two teams met in Connecticut just over a week ago, the biggest defensive battle of the entire game was between Jones and Charles.

The two centers constantly got in each other’s way. They were very physical, with one pushing to get around the ball while the other tried to block any passing lanes and clear sightlines. The Dream invaded the passing lane to make it difficult for Jones and Thomas.

But Jones stayed focused and kept Charles at bay, limiting the former Husky to a season-low three rebounds and just two points in the first half.

“I think Breezy in particular did a great job,” White said. “It’s really tough because Tina is not only a great player, she understands positioning. She understands timing and she does a really good job of getting to her spots. And I think Breezy did a good job of making her uncomfortable, forcing her to catch the ball two or three feet away from where she wanted to catch it.”

And with Jones busy holding Charles back, the rest of the Sun pitched in. There were at least one or two Sun players chasing every rebound and closing in on Jones if/once she got stuck with Charles and needed someone to kick the ball.

Connecticut’s low-court power was no match for the Dream, who led 23-10 in rebounds at halftime and finished ahead 36-31. Seven of 10 Sun players finished with three or more rebounds.

The Sun created the difference with an 8-0 run in the final minutes of the second quarter thanks to Bonner’s third 3-pointer of the night that gave the team a 12-game lead.

Bonner’s sixth 3-pointer in the final minutes of the third quarter extended the Sun’s lead to 20 points. The 2024 All-Star made her seventh 3-pointer three minutes into the fourth quarter before sitting out the final five minutes of the game.

“She’s been working on her shots, staying longer after practice and working on the type of shots she takes in the game,” White said. “I don’t really worry about her because every time she shoots, I think the ball’s going to go in. I think more than anything, it’s just getting those repetitions to build your confidence, right? Seeing the ball go through the net, building your confidence, believing that every time you shoot, it’s going to go in. She looked a little more confident when she was shooting today.”

All 10 of the Suns’ available players (Moriah Jefferson remains out with an ankle injury) played six minutes or more, with all five starters resting the final five minutes of the game. Bonner played just 27 minutes and Thomas 25, his fewest minutes since late May.

Connecticut will host New York on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in a battle of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams. The Liberty beat the Sun earlier this season in Uncasville, 82-75, on June 8.