CHICAGO — Odyssey Sims walked down the sideline and put her hand to her ear like a WWE wrestler listening to the roar of the crowd, but nothing was coming back. Shocked by what they had just witnessed, most of the Wintrust Arena had fallen silent. Only the Connecticut Sun and its small legion of supporters made noise.
Over the final seven minutes and 20 seconds of Game 5 of Thursday night’s semifinals, the Sun outscored the defending champion Chicago Sky 22-2 at home to win 72-63 and steal a trip to the finals of the WNBA. . It was a comeback so impressive and improbable that even those involved had trouble immediately processing it.
Sun assistant coach Brandi Poole was at a loss for words as she emerged from the locker room along with the rest of the jubilant coaching staff and hugged members of the team’s walking party. “I don’t know how that happened,” he said.
The feeling of disbelief was the same in the opposite dressing room. “It’s tough,” Sky head coach James Wade said. “It’s probably one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had professionally. It’s hard to put into words right now. … This will probably hurt me for a long time.”
In a contest in this series, Game 5 was a true scrap that was less about basketball skill and execution and more about guts, pride and determination. The former can be a problem at times for the Sun, but they showed they have plenty of the latter.
After a disastrous third quarter in which they had as many points, eight, as turnovers, the Sun fell behind by 11 early in the quarter. They could, and probably should have, and were minutes away from facing another early playoff exit and an offseason full of tough questions. It was then that they decided to take a stand. Instead of letting things spiral, they focused on the positives, vowed to work harder than the sky, and slowly began to unravel.
Finally, with just under four minutes to play, they found their breakthrough. On the second of two offensive rebounds in one possession, DeWanna Bonner converted an and-one and let out a scream. Kahleah Copper did not enjoy the show of excitement, and the two got into it, exchanging words and a brief shove.
The referees reviewed the situation and did not add any additional punishment, likely because assessing a double technical would have ejected Copper (who was already in a technical) from the match. But while Sky were lucky with the referees’ decision, the damage was already done.
“I think the momentum shifted with the whole trade and the Copper overhaul,” Alyssa Thomas told CBS Sports. “So there was everything we needed to give us the final push. After that, we didn’t look back.”
The Suns didn’t allow a single point the rest of the way, overwhelming the Sky with relentless defensive pressure during their final charge. They made numerous impressive defensive plays, including a monster layup by Jonquel Jones that started the drive that tied the game with 2:24 to play. After Natisha Hiedeman beat Courtney Vandersloot for a loose ball on the ensuing possession, Jones converted an and-one to put the Sun in front for good.
“Yeah, it was a gut check,” Jones told CBS Sports. “This was a test of resilience, a test of the mentality and attitude of the team. It means a lot, not only because of the way we won, but because of the team we beat – the team that is the former champion and a very tough team. . For us to come out and impose our will and when things weren’t going our way to stick together, it was a big moment of growth for us as a team.”
Over the final 7:20, the Sun shot 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. On the other end, they forced three turnovers (four if you include the jump ball they forced and then won when the Sky had possession), blocked two shots and limited the Sky to 1 11 of the field.
Now, they reach the finals for the first time since 2019, and the fourth time in franchise history; the team’s first title is once again within reach, but they will have to go through the #1 seed Las Vegas Aces to get it.
“It’s going to be a battle of wills,” Jones said. “I’m really excited about it. We’ve been here before. We’ve been here in 2019, the last four years in the semifinals. It’s time to finish the mission. It’s time to get the job done. .”
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