Sun stay undefeated, beat Dream 69-50

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This article was published 02/06/2024 (875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ATLANTA (AP) — DeWanna Bonner had 18 points and 10 rebounds, DiJonai Carrington added 15 points and the Connecticut Sun remained undefeated with a 69-50 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.

In addition to Bonner’s traditional double-double, Alyssa Thomas had 14 rebounds, 11 assists and eight points for the Sun. Tyasha Harris added 13 points.

The Sun finished the first half on a 12-2 run over the final four minutes of the second quarter and led 39-27 at halftime.

Atlanta scored two points in the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter and Connecticut was out front 51-29. Atlanta made four of its final five shots of the period and added 5 of 6 free throws to trail 57-43 heading to the fourth quarter.

The Dream went 3 for 16 from the field and 0 for 2 from the line in the fourth quarter. Their 50 points were 23 points below their previous season low. It was the second fewest points allowed by Connecticut, which held Phoenix to 47 points in a game last week.

Atlanta got 12 points and 12 rebounds from Tina Charles. The Dream shot 28.4% overall and made 3 of 16 3-pointers, their worst numbers at home this season.

MERCURY 87, SPARKS 68

PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi hit 7 of 9 from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 31 points to help Phoenix beat Los Angeles and snap a four-game skid.

Taurasi made 9 of 14 from the field, hit 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added two steals. Natasha Cloud scored 21 points with 12 assists, her third double-double of the season, and Kahleah Copper added 12 points and Sophie Cunningham 10 for the Mercury. Natasha Mack grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.

The Sparks made just 3 of 13 from the field and scored seven points in the second — their lowest-scoring quarter of the season — and Phoenix used a 15-0 run to make it 31-17 when Liz Dixon hit a jumper with 3:36 left in the first half and the Mercury led by double figures the rest of the way.

Dearica Hamby finished with 23 points and four rebounds and Kia Nurse scored 12 for the Sparks (2-6). Hamby, who went into the game sixth in the league in scoring (20.6 per game) and leading the WNBA in rebounds per game (12.7), had her league-record streak of seven consecutive regular-season games with at least 17 points and nine rebounds snapped.

LIBERTY 104, FEVER 68

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark had just one basket and three points in the worst game of her young pro career, and New York routed Indiana.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 20 points and Jonquel Jones added 18 for the Liberty, who were nearing the end of the easy win when Clark left the game and Aliyah Boston departed a few minutes later after an awkward fall.

Clark shot 1 for 10 and had five assists. The No. 1 pick in the draft played the first few minutes of the fourth quarter before exiting, holding her ear for a little bit as she left the court.

The Fever had another scary moment a few minutes later when Boston went down awkwardly after she was fouled. She gingerly walked off the court and back to the locker room.

Indiana was playing the second game of a back-to-back set. The Fever beat Chicago on Saturday afternoon by one point.

The Fever have had a brutal stretch to the start the season with 11 games in the first 20 days, including playing New York three times now.

LYNX 87, WINGS 76

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kayla McBride hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Napheesa Collier added 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Minnesota beat Dallas.

Courtney Williams finished with 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Western Conference-leading Lynx.

Collier hit a jumper just before halftime that made it 39-38 and the Lynx led the rest of the way.

Arike Ogunbowale, who went into the game averaging a WNBA-leading 27.5 points per game, hit a jumper about a minute into the fourth quarter that cut the Dallas deficit to 61-59 but the Wings went scoreless for nearly five minutes as Minnesota ripped off a 16 consecutive points to blow the game open.

Ogunbowale scored 21 to lead the the Wings (3-4) but was just 6-of-17 shooting and committed 10 turnovers. Monique Billings added 19 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, her third double-double this season, and Maddy Siegrist added 12 points. Sevgi Uzun, a 26-year-old Turkish rookie, also scored 12 points, a season high.