Another Fourth-Quarter Collapse Dooms the Connecticut Sun

By Tiffany Williams –

Two nights.

That is all it took for the Connecticut Sun to go from celebrating one of their biggest wins of the season to being reminded why they remain one of the WNBA’s biggest disappointments.

On Monday night inside Target Center in Minneapolis, Connecticut stunned the Minnesota Lynx, escaping with a dramatic 90-89 victory behind a dominant performance from Brittney Griner. It was a signature road win over one of the league’s elite teams. Griner delivered a season-high 29 points and 10 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double.

Kennedy Burke added 16 points, while Leïla Lacan scored 13 and Olivia Nelson-Ododa chipped in 10. The victory improved Connecticut to six wins on the season and gave fans a glimpse of what this team is capable of when everything clicks.

For one night, the Sun looked like they had finally found an identity.

48 hours later, reality returned.

Back home Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut welcomed the very same Minnesota team it had beaten just two days earlier. Instead of building on one of its best performances of the season, the Sun watched another opportunity slip away, falling 86-80 after being outscored 26-15 in the fourth quarter.

That has become the story of the Connecticut Sun.

They compete.

They show flashes.

They play well enough to give themselves a chance.

Then something falls apart.

Wednesday’s game was another example.

The Sun entered the night shorthanded.

Brittney Griner was unavailable with a left quad strain. Aneesah Morrow was out for personal reasons. Ashlon Jackson and Hailey Van Lith were both unavailable by coach’s decision.

Connecticut’s starting lineup consisted of Charlisse Leger-Walker, Leïla Lacan, Diamond Miller, Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa.

Against a Minnesota team that entered the game 16-6, the Sun didn’t fold.

They fought.

They led for more than 20 minutes.

They built an eight-point advantage.

They outrebounded the Lynx 36-33.

They scored more points in the paint, 36-32.

They produced more second-chance points, 15-12.

They finished with 20 assists.

There were 13 lead changes and 10 ties.

This wasn’t a game where Connecticut was blown off its own floor.

This was a game that was there for the taking.

Instead, the Sun simply couldn’t finish.

Minnesota’s veterans made winning plays when it mattered most.

Kayla McBride finished with 23 points while shooting 6-for-10 from the field, a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. Courtney Williams added 12 points and seven assists. Natasha Howard contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lynx also got tremendous production from their bench.

Dorka Juhász knocked down four three-pointers and scored 12 points.

Antonia Delaere added 10.

Minnesota’s reserves produced 32 points.

Connecticut simply could not match that production late.

Leïla Lacan continued one of the most encouraging stretches of her young career, finishing with 15 points and six assists while shooting 5-for-9 from the field. Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 14 points on an efficient 6-for-9 shooting performance. Diamond Miller added 13 points, although she connected on just two field goals and relied heavily on free throws. Nell Angloma gave Connecticut valuable minutes off the bench with 10 points and seven rebounds.

But there simply wasn’t enough offense when the game reached winning time.

Kennedy Burke scored just three points after finishing with 16 in Monday’s victory.

Aaliyah Edwards was held scoreless from the field, finishing with only two points.

Charlisse Leger-Walker shot just 3-for-11.

Connecticut shot only 40 percent from the field and connected on just six of its 23 three-point attempts.

Minnesota, meanwhile, buried 10 of its 22 attempts from beyond the arc.

That difference alone represented 12 points.

The Sun also committed 18 turnovers compared to Minnesota’s 14, giving away valuable possessions against one of the league’s best teams.

Statistics only tell part of the story.

The larger question surrounding this franchise continues to grow louder with every passing week.

How many more moral victories are enough?

How many more competitive losses are acceptable?

How many more fourth-quarter collapses can this team absorb before someone is held accountable?

Those are fair questions.

Connecticut is now deep into another difficult season.

The record remains among the league’s worst.

Close games continue ending the same way.

The offense too often stalls during critical stretches.

The execution disappears late.

The consistency never arrives.

One impressive performance is followed by another frustrating defeat.

That cycle has become impossible to ignore.

Monday’s win showed what this roster can accomplish.

Wednesday’s loss showed why it continues to struggle climbing the standings.

This organization entered a rebuilding phase following enormous roster turnover, and there is no denying the challenges that came with replacing veteran talent. Young players have been forced into major roles. Injuries have not helped. Lineups have changed throughout the season.

Those realities exist.

They are part of the story.

They are not the entire story.

Professional sports are measured by results.

Through two seasons, results have been difficult to find.

When teams continue struggling in close games, attention naturally shifts beyond the box score.

Execution becomes a topic.

Rotations become a topic.

Adjustments become a topic.

Late-game offense becomes a topic.

The overall direction of the team becomes a topic.

Those conversations come with the job.

Wednesday night offered another painful example.

The Sun were not physically overmatched.

They were not embarrassed.

They were in position to earn another statement victory over one of the WNBA’s premier teams.

Instead, they watched the Lynx walk into Mohegan Sun Arena and leave with the split.

Perhaps the most frustrating part for Connecticut fans is that the effort was there.

The hustle was there.

The rebounding was there.

The defensive activity was there.

The opportunities were there.

The finish wasn’t.

Again.

The contrast between Monday and Wednesday was impossible to ignore.

On Monday, Brittney Griner dominated the game with 29 points and 10 rebounds, delivering one of the best individual performances by a Connecticut player this season. She controlled the paint, altered Minnesota’s defensive approach and helped close out a one-point victory.

On Wednesday, without Griner available because of a left quad strain, the Sun needed someone else to carry the offensive burden.

No one did.

Instead, the scoring was spread across several players, but no one consistently took over the game when Minnesota began its fourth-quarter push.

That is where elite teams separate themselves.

Championship contenders close.

Developing teams often don’t.

Right now, Connecticut continues searching for that next step.

The final statistics paint a picture that is almost cruel.

The Sun actually finished with more rebounds.

More points in the paint.

More second-chance points.

Nearly identical assists.

Identical personal fouls.

Seven blocked shots, matching Minnesota.

Nine steals.

Twenty-two made free throws.

Yet they still lost by six.

The difference came from execution.

Minnesota made the timely three-pointers.

Minnesota protected the basketball better.

Minnesota made winning plays in the final quarter.

Connecticut did not.

For a franchise searching for momentum, Wednesday night represented another missed opportunity.

The Sun proved Monday they are capable of beating one of the WNBA’s best teams.

Wednesday reminded everyone that proving you can do it once and proving you can do it consistently are two very different things.

Until Connecticut finds that consistency, every encouraging performance will continue to be followed by another difficult question.

Not whether the Sun can compete.

They’ve already shown they can.

The question is whether they can finally learn how to finish.