Ty Harris leads Sun to win over Lynx, helping Connecticut avoid WNBA playoff elimination

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — In the Connecticut Sun’s previous two games — both losses against the Minnesota Lynx — Ty Harris played a combined 13 minutes, and was held scoreless, seemingly still not herself since her return from injury. Harris, who has been one of Connecticut’s key players all season, sprained her ankle just four minutes into the WNBA postseason, missing the subsequent three games — all wins. While she made her return on Tuesday, in Game 2 against Minnesota, she came off the bench and played limited minutes.

After back-to-back losses, the Sun found themselves in a 2-1 series hole, facing elimination against the Lynx. Ahead of a must-win Game 4, head coach Stephanie White made it clear that Harris was needed. She’d be back in the starting lineup in place of Marina Mabrey — and was expected to contribute as she has all year.

“We need her to be out there,” White said pregame. “We need her to take shots for us. We need her to be a shot maker for us. We need her to be a solid defender for us. So she’s got to be in the rotation.”

Harris responded. The 5’ 10 guard, one of Connecticut’s top shooters all year, exploded for 20 points — 13 of which came in the second half. She shot 4-5 from beyond the arc, responsible for half of Connecticut’s 8 total three-pointers.

“She gives us another floor spacer, which opens things up for AT to attack, opens things up for Breezy when she’s on the floor, on the block, certainly makes DB and Marina’s life a lot easier as well,” White said.

“We know that when Ty is on the floor and knocking down shots that we have great opportunities to be successful. I’m thankful that she bounced back today and was outstanding.”

In turn, the Sun — who appeared lethargic and out of focus in Game 3 — came away with a 92-82 win.

Turning things around required a team effort. Connecticut trailed by 7 at the half, but responded with a massive third quarter in which they outscored the Lynx 25-13.

Alyssa Thomas, who shot just 2-10 in the first half, bounced back with a 14-point second half performance to finish the game with 18 points on 8/17 shooting. Bonner had one of her best performances of the postseason, scoring 18 points on 8-12 shooting. DiJonai Carrington added 15 points on 6-10 shooting, while Marina Mabrey added 10 points off the bench.

Ty Harris addresses a raucous Mohegan Sun crowd after the victory.

“We forced it to Game 5, and we’re going to do it there.”

The series will return to Minneapolis, where the Lynx and Sun will face off in a deciding Game 5. The winner of that game will advance to the WNBA finals, which will tip off at Barclay’s Center on Thursday at 8pm ET, since earlier on Sunday, the Liberty defeated the Aces, 76-62, in Game 4 to cement their spot in the Finals.

An elimination game at Target Center is sure to be a rowdy environment, but the Sun are ready for the challenge.

“They’re great fans,” Bonner said of the Lynx fans awaiting them in Minneapolis. “They’re championship fans. They’ve won multiple championships, so they’re hungry for another one. It’s going to be crazy, but I think we’ve been there — thank goodness for the first two games — so we know what it kind of feels like, and we’ll be prepared to handle that.”