Bonner scores 15 in 4th as Sun pull away, beat Storm 82-71
Jun 17, 2022, 6:30 AM | Updated: 6:35 pm
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored 15 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, Jonquel Jones had 17 points and 14 rebounds and the Connecticut Sun beat the Seattle Storm 82-71 Friday night.
Jewell Loyd hit a 3-pointer that cut Seattle’s deficit to 71-68 with 3:58 to play but Bonner converted a three-point play, made a layup and, after Alyssa Thomas scored to give the Sun a 10-point lead with 2:01 left, made a reverse layup to make it 80-68.
Bonner finished with 10 rebounds — giving her 2,501 in her career — four assists and three steals. She went into the fourth quarter shooting 2 of 12 from the field and 0 for 6 from 3-point range but was 5-of-6 shooting — including 2 of 2 from behind the arc — with four rebounds, two assists assist and a steal over the final 10 minutes. Bonner, in her 13th WNBA season, joined Tamika Catchings, Candice Dupree, Candace Parker, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Swin Cash as the only players in league history to record at least 5,000 points, 2,500 rebounds and 900 assists.
Brionna Jones added 19 points and Thomas had 10 points and eight assists for the Sun (12-4).
Breanna Stewart led Seattle (9-5) with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sue Bird scored 14 points and Ezi Magbegor added 12.
The 41-year-old Bird — the league’s all-time assists leader — announced Thursday that she would retire at the end of the season. A four-time WNBA champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist, Bird has played her entire 21-year career with the Storm.
The Sun limited Seattle to just 11 second-quarter points and took a 10-point lead into halftime. Bird and Jewell Loyd hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 13-3 run that gave the Storm a 46-45 lead when Stewart hit a 3-pointer with about 4 minutes into the third quarter.
Connecticut has won six of its last seven games and eight of the last 10.
The Storm had their four-game win streak — which dated to a 93-86 loss to Connecticut on June 5 — snapped.
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