Alyssa Thomas missed out on her sixth triple-double of the year, tallying 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists, but her effort was more than enough to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 79-73 road win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Natisha Hiedeman shot 5 of 7 from the floor and scored 13 points while DeWanna Bonner (13 points) and Tiffany Hayes (12) also scored in double figures as the Sun (22-10) snapped a three-game losing streak and won their fifth consecutive game against the Sky dating back to last season.

The late-season struggles continued for the Sky (12-20) despite 15 points from Kahleah Copper, who couldn’t help Chicago avoid its fifth consecutive loss. Elizabeth Williams chipped in 14 points while Marina Mabrey and Courtney Williams scored 11 apiece.

Mabrey’s 3-pointer 45 seconds into the game marked the beginning of a fast-paced opening quarter that saw the Sky and Sun both connect early and often. The two teams were tied at 9-9, 11-11 and 13-13.

Connecticut soon led 21-13 thanks to an 8-0 run, but Chicago responded with an 8-0 run of its own. A jumper by DiJonai Carrington with 19.3 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Sun a 25-23 lead heading into the second.

A 9-2 spurt fueled in part by a 3-pointer from Dana Evans put the Sky ahead 36-31 with under four minutes to play in the first half.

But the Sun hung around and were within two at 38-36 with 2:46 to go after a shot from beyond the arc from Bonner.

Bonner tied the game at 40-40 a little over a minute later, hitting one of two free throws, and Rebecca Allen’s 3-pointer nudged the Sun ahead 43-40 with 30.2 seconds left in a half that featured eight ties and three lead changes.

Two free throws by Thomas with 2.6 seconds remaining sent the Sun into the locker room with a 45-40 lead.

Allen hit two free throws at the end of the third quarter to send Connecticut into the fourth with a 66-56 lead, and the visitors built their advantage to as much as 13 in the final period to seal the victory.

–Field Level Media