CT Sun, fighting fatigue, lose for third time in last four after falling to Atlanta Dream, 77-74

UNCASVILLE — The Connecticut Sun, facing a quick turnaround and a rested opponent, lost for the third time in four games, a 77-74 decision to the Atlanta Dream at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night.Allisha Gray scored 17 points, making key plays down the stretch, and UConn’s Tina Charles scored 14, with six rebounds, to lead Atlanta (7-9). The Sun (14-4) got 17 points from DeWanna Bonner, 15 from DiJonai Carrington and 14, with seven assists and seven rebounds, from Alyssa Thomas, but was not as on-point defensively as one is used to seeing them.Neither team could separate itself by more than five points during the course of the game. After 16 lead changes and 11 ties, the Dream took control in the final 2 1/2 minutes, with Charles hitting a 15-foot jumper and Gray hitting another short jumper to make it 70-67. Then Gray made a steal on the defensive end, and Jordin Canada finished the sequence with two free throws at the other end to give Atlanta a five-point lead.Charles hit two free throws with 10.3 seconds left, and Canada hit two more with 5.8 to prevent any last-second heroics.The schedule-makers did the Sun no favors this week, scheduling them at Washington, where they won in overtime Thursday night. After arriving home about 3 a.m. Friday, they were right back in action against Atlanta – a tough turnaround, even with charter flights. The Dream hadn’t played since Sunday.But the Sun, finding themselves in another fight, used their depth, using nine of 10 available players in the early minutes, and engaged, hitting 8 of 16 first quarter shots. Tiffany Mitchell’s steal-and-score and Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s pull-up jumper pulled Connecticut even at 19 as the first quarter ended.The Sun’s defense took hold in the second quarter, holding the Dream to 5 for 18 from the floor, and they edged out to five-point lead before Gray’s three cut it to 33-31 at the half. Fatigue appeared to set in for Connecticut in the third quarter, the Dream converting six turnovers into easy baskets, scoring on the break and backdoor cuts, taking a 57-56 lead into the fourth, by which time there had been 12 lead changes.Carrington, heating up in the second half, hit a three to put the Sun back on top 61-58 with under eight minutes to play. The game was tied again, at 62, with 4:15 left, but Atlanta had the finishing kick. 

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