By Tiffany Williams –
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is it.
One final Connecticut Sun-New York Liberty showdown. One last meeting between these two franchises. And for a Connecticut team sitting at 8-24, Saturday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena is about trying to make that finale mean something.
The Sun host the Liberty at 1 p.m. Saturday in what will be the final matchup between the teams in Connecticut franchise history.
And Connecticut enters this one after getting absolutely hammered.
The Atlanta Dream rolled into Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday and handed the Sun a 104-69 loss. Aaliyah Edwards led Connecticut with 15 points and four rebounds, while Gianna Kneepkens scored a career-high 10 points. Brittney Griner grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Now comes New York.
And the Liberty are arriving at 21-14 after beating the Los Angeles Sparks 85-81 Thursday night.
Sabrina Ionescu poured in 20 points in that victory. Rebecca Allen scored 13, while Jonquel Jones controlled the glass with a monster double-double of 11 points and 18 rebounds.
Breanna Stewart added 11 points and Marine Fauthoux finished with 10 as New York put four players in double figures.
That is the challenge staring directly at Connecticut.
The Sun already know what this Liberty team can do to them.
When these teams last met June 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena, New York walked out with an 89-80 victory. Breanna Stewart tore into Connecticut for 28 points and nine rebounds, while Xu Han added 14 points.
Connecticut got 15 points apiece from Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, with Nelson-Ododa also grabbing eight rebounds. Saniya Rivers scored 12 points and Diamond Miller added 10.
It wasn’t enough.
Now Connecticut gets one final shot.
But the Sun could enter the afternoon without two important pieces.
Brittney Griner is questionable because of a left knee issue, while Aaliyah Edwards is questionable with a left ankle issue.
Those are not insignificant names to have sitting on the injury report when Jonquel Jones is coming off an 18-rebound performance and Breanna Stewart already dropped 28 points on Connecticut in the previous meeting.
And Connecticut wasn’t finished making changes.
Just hours before Saturday’s game, the Sun announced they converted Ashlon Jackson to a rest-of-season contract.
The corresponding move sent Rayah Marshall out the door, with Connecticut waiving her Saturday morning.
So even on game day, this roster is still moving.
Saturday will have a much different atmosphere away from the basketball itself.
The Sun will host Princess Day, presented by Yale New Haven Health, with family activities including wand and crown decorating, face painting and princess appearances on the Mohegan Sun Arena concourse. Rally towels will also be distributed while supplies last.
It is also Girl Scouts Day, with participating Girl Scouts receiving a Connecticut Sun patch through a special ticket package and access to a postgame panel featuring athletes and leaders.
But once the ball goes up, none of that changes what Connecticut faces on the floor.
New York is 21-14.
Connecticut is 8-24.
The Liberty won the previous meeting.
The Sun are coming off a 35-point beating.
And two of Connecticut’s most important players are questionable.
There isn’t much mystery here.
The Sun have one final opportunity against the Liberty, inside their own building, to make sure the last chapter of this matchup doesn’t end the same way the previous one did.