Sun top Sparks 83-68 in Miller's return to Mohegan Sun
Aug. 27—MOHEGAN — Former Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller was on the opposing bench at Mohegan Sun Arena for the first time, now leading the Los Angeles Sparks. During the day Sunday, Miller tweeted a selfie from the venue.
"Seven of the best years of my life and they gave me an opportunity to live a dream of being a professional head coach. Just a little bit overwhelming today, coming back," Miller said prior to the game.
The Sun, meanwhile, were coming off a particularly difficult overtime loss that should have been a victory Thursday night against the New York Liberty.
Connecticut responded, however, with six players in double figures, spoiling Miller's return and the Sparks' six-game winning streak with an 83-68 win before 6,783 fans.
MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas led the way with 17 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, her 25th double-double of the season for the Sun (24-11). DeWanna Bonner added 12 points, moving her into sixth place all-time in WNBA history at 6,815, and eight rebounds.
Fellow starters Bec Allen had 14 points, Natisha Hiedeman 12 and Tiffany Hayes 11 points and seven assists and UConn grad Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots off the bench, one game after she did not play against the Liberty.
"That is just a total team effort," Hiedeman said. "We've been saying since day one that it's going to take everybody to win, not just win a single game but to win a championship it's going to take all of us. This is a really good team contribution tonight. Super proud, super proud of this team."
"We bounced back from a tough loss the other night and our balance, offensively, was huge for us," said Sun head coach Stephanie White, who followed seven seasons at the helm by Miller. "That's what we're going to have to do, have multiple players in double figures."
The Sun turned the ball over five times in the first quarter, then five more in the first 2 minutes, 8 seconds of the second quarter, after which White called a timeout with Connecticut trailing 28-21.
The Sun came back with seven straight points on baskets by Bonner, a wide open 3-pointer by Hiedeman and a drive by Nelson-Ododa, to make it 28-28. Connecticut took the lead for good, 35-33, on a 3-pointer by Bonner with 3:37 to play in the half and the Sun made it 43-38 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Sun pushed the lead to double digits on another 3 by Bonner, 54-44, but LA carved the margin back to one possession on a three-point play by Nneka Ogwumike (57-55) and later on a pair of free throws by Ogwumike (60-57).
Connecticut's Ty Harris then hit a 3-pointer to spark a 13-1 Sun scoring run, which included a second Harris 3 and was capped by drives from Hayes and Nelson-Ododa.
The Sun scored 17 points off turnovers, all in the second half, what White called a "game-changer."
UConn grad Azurá Stevens led the Sparks with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists and fellow Huskies' alum Evina Westbrook also played for LA (15-19).
Miller was the two-time WNBA Coach of the Year and his Connecticut teams reached the playoffs six of seven times, including two WNBA Finals.
He left following the 2022 season, embracing a chance to build the Sparks, he said. That, along with the departures of former MVP Jonquel Jones (New York) and point guard Jasmine Thomas (who, via a trade, went with Miller to LA), somehow created the narrative that the Sun were rebuilding.
They also lost All-Star post Bri Jones early on to a ruptured Achilles, but Connecticut has continued to battle, standing in third place overall in the league standings behind Las Vegas and New York.
"I still think they have every bit a chance to win this as anyone," Miller said. "And what I sit back and smile at is one of the things, during my tenure, that I thought we were able to create and build was the pivot. When there was an injury, when there was adversity, we didn't feel sorry for ourselves and we adjusted and we played."
"I've been here for five years and I feel like it's the same thing every year honestly," Hiedeman said of the Sun potentially being overlooked. "We're fine with that. We don't need to be the topic of discussion. We don't need to have all the lights on us. We know it takes a lot to win and that's what we're focusing on, just showing up every day not for whoever else is out there, for ourselves."
The Sun have back-to-back games Thursday and Friday at home vs. Phoenix and in New York before finishing the regular season with three straight home games. The playoffs begin Sept. 13.
