Sun-Storm Preview
Saturday night's matchup between the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm will be played at KeyArena, but will feature a distinctive Nutmeg State feel. Top overall 2016 draft pick Breanna Stewart leads the Storm against the visiting Sun, and she'll get to see former college teammate Morgan Tuck - the third pick - as several ex-UConn Huskies create a Storrs reunion in the Northwest. Stewart has been living up to her lofty draft status, averaging 19 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists for Seattle (1-3). She's coming off her best game with 25 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four blocks in an 84-82 overtime loss to Washington on Thursday. Alysha Clark's putback pulled the Storm to within 81-79 late in the extra period, but they couldn't control the rebound after a Washington miss and the Mystics' Tayler Hill hit two free throws with 3.7 seconds left. Stewart's fellow UConn alum Sue Bird added 15 points and five assists for Seattle, but the Storm lost for the second time in a row. They close out this three-game homestand against the Sun (1-3), who have also dropped their last two. Connecticut fell 77-72 to undefeated Los Angeles on Thursday, shooting 37.1 percent to give it a 35.8 mark over the back-to-back defeats. The Sun allowed the Sparks to make 50.9 percent from the field. Leading scorer Jasmine Thomas continued her strong play with a season-high 17 points and Alex Bentley matched a season best with 14, but no other Connecticut player scored more than eight. Thomas' point totals have increased in each game. Tuck - who completed a UConn sweep of the top three picks in the draft - had six for her best total of the season. She's been coming off the bench as she works to translate the skills that allowed her to average 14.1 points over her final two seasons with the Huskies. Stewart and Tuck won four national championships at UConn, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis - who teamed with them for three of those from 2012-15 - is averaging 3.8 points in her second season with the Storm. Connecticut has won four straight meetings in this series. |