Connecticut Sun give up 30 points to Sabrina Ionescu in 82-74 loss to New York Liberty

NEW YORK — The Connecticut Sun came up short against the New York Liberty on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks and the third time this season, suffering an 82-74 loss to their Eastern Conference rival at Barclays Center.The Sun got out to a disastrous start, giving up turnovers on their first two possessions while allowing New York back-to-back 3-pointers. Sabrina Ionescu scored the first points of the game with a shot beyond the arc off the tipoff, and she was practically unstoppable in the first half logging 17 points shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Leonie Fiebich, making just her seventh career start with Breanna Stewart and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton out, shot 100% in the first quarter for seven points.Connecticut was forced to take a timeout less than three minutes into the game after falling behind 11-2, and coach Stephanie White swapped veteran guard Tiffany Mitchell into the lineup in place of starter DiJonai Carrington. It did little to slow Ionescu’s momentum, but Sun managed to trim New York’s lead to 28-23 at the end of the first quarter largely thanks to its trio of All-Stars. Alyssa Thomas led the team in points, rebounds and assists after the first, and DeWanna Bonner matched Thomas’s six points to help keep Connecticut afloat.Sun center Brionna Jones began to hit her stride late in the first quarter and into the second, entering halftime as the team’s No. 2 scorer with 11 points. She also had a team-high two steals in the first half. All three Sun stars shot above 50% in the first half.Connecticut got within two points of the Liberty midway through the third quarter, but Ionescu swung the momentum back in New York’s favor hitting a 28-foot 3-pointer then grabbing a steal against Tyasha Harris on back-to-back possessions. Foul trouble also plagued the Sun in the third: Carrington picked up a third foul to put New York into the bonus with nearly four minutes remaining in the quarter, and the Liberty were nearly perfect at the free throw line finishing 19-for-20. Though the Sun got the the charity stripe 22 times, they shot just 72.7%.The Sun tied the score for the first time with under two minutes left in the third at 61-61, and late layups for both teams sent the game into the fourth quarter 63-63. Ionescu again broke the tie with her sixth 3-point make of the game, kicking off a 10-2 run for New York. Carrington gave the Sun a critical boost midway through the quarter with a steal-and-score against Ionescu, and she put up five of the team’s 11 points in the fourth. She finished with 13 points, six rebounds and a team-best five steals.Jonquel Jones put up five unanswered points in the final four minutes to keep New York’s lead to two possessions, and Connecticut never recovered after that. Turnovers ultimately doomed the Sun with three in the fourth quarter to finish with 13, and the Liberty scored 16 points off of Connecticut’s lost possessions.White also pulled Thomas down the stretch, sitting the superstar for the entire fourth quarter and the final three minutes of the third. Despite playing just 23 minutes, Connecticut’s Olympian finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists shooting 8-for-9 from the field. Ionescu led the Liberty with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists, also recording two steals.

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