UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun were happy to finally close out an opening round series at home in two games.
Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Sun sweep rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win Wednesday night.
Since the league changed its playoff format in 2022, the Sun have needed to win a decisive third game on the road in the first round to advance, which they did both years. This time, they were able to do it at home.
“Finally locked in and took advantage of homecourt advantage,” said Thomas, who had a triple-double in the Game 1 win. “We’re ready. Tested tonight and it wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of playoffs. We pulled out a gutsy win. We’re hungry and ready. ... We're ready for what the playoff journey is going to unfold.”
The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals, which begin Sunday.
Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn't enough.
“Obviously it’s a tough one, especially as we climbed all the way back in and just to have our opportunities late,” Clark said.
Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds. Her layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 advantage but DeWanna Bonner, who was playing in her WNBA record matching 82nd playoff game to match Lindsay Whalen, answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later.
Neither team scored on their next few possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.
Kelsey Mitchell missed a 3 on the Fever's next possession and the Sun sealed the game from the foul line.
Trailing by seven at the half, the Fever scored the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. The teams traded baskets until Lexie Hull’s layup gave the Fever a 48-47 lead midway through the period.
It was short-lived as Thomas took over, scoring 10 points during a 14-4 run to close the quarter.
Clark brought the Fever back with her 3-pointer, giving the team a 71-70 lead with 3:59 left and the teams traded baskets until Bonner’s 3.
Indiana got off to a fast start and was up 14-6 before the Sun scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to go up by three. With 1:29 left in the quarter after a foul, Clark pointed out a fan sitting in the second row to an official, who called security over and had the man escorted to the back. The fan later returned and there were no further incidents.
The run continued to start the second as Connecticut went up 26-16 on Carrington’s layup with 7:32 left in the half. The Sun led 41-34 at intermission. Carrington was honored before the game as the league’s Most Improved Player.
On the last play of the half, Erica Wheeler went in for a layup trying to beat the buzzer and went flying into the courtside photographers. She was down for a few minutes before getting up and walking back to the locker room. She had her left thumb looked at and didn’t return in the second half.
Clark finished the half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Sun were missing starting guard Tyasha Harris, who injured her ankle in Sunday’s win. Mabrey started in her place.
___