Connecticut
Alyssa Thomas shines in her emotional return to Connecticut
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Alyssa Thomas was the face of the Connecticut Sun for over a decade, beloved by her teammates and the fans.
Thomas returned to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday for the first time as a visitor after being traded to the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason.
“It feels good — different to be on the other side, but a lot of good memories here,” Thomas said during warmups before the game.
“11 years here, I started here. A lot of wins, a lot of friendships, (it) means a lot but… I knew it was my time to move on and now it’s my next step.”
Thomas caught up with former teammate Marina Mabrey before the game among other ‘familiar faces’.
Thomas was greeted warmly by the Connecticut fans before the tip-off after the team played a touching tribute video on her time with the Sun.
Try as she might, the five-time All-Star could not hold back her tears after seeing the Sun’s tribute video and witnessing the outpour of love and support from the Sun crowd.
“Definitely emotional,” Thomas said after the game. “I gave this organization everything I had and the fan base was always behind me, supporting, whether we’re winning or losing.
“I’m just super grateful for them to definitely came out and show their support.”
The Mercury jumped out to a 10-0 lead early on, holding the Sun scoreless through the first four minutes of the game. The Sun trailed by 17 at the end of the first, but late in the second quarter they managed to climb back, trimming the lead to five.
But the Mercury closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to regain control, heading into halftime with a 10-point advantage.
Phoenix maintained its double-digit lead for most of the third. But a three from Marina Mabrey with just over two minutes capped an 8-0 run to get back within eight.
Once again, the Mercury refused to buckle to Connecticut’s pressure. Satou Sabally scored a well-contested shot from the post out of the timeout to restore Phoenix’s double-digit lead entering the fourth.
Connecticut remained within striking distance throughout the final quarter, but the Sun could not put together a run to close the gap and lost, 83-75.
Thomas finished with a typical stat line for herself with 14 points, a game-high 11 assists and eight rebounds in under 31 minutes.
Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas playing against the Connecticut Sun on Jun. 18, 2025 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.Kenneth Manoj
“(Thomas is) the ultimate winner,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “She cares about one thing and that’s winning.
“She’s super professional — we’re going to be good in Phoenix as long as she’s (here), that’s how good she is… it’s our job to put good players around her, competitive players, shot makers. But she just competes at such a high level and plays with such a force, I really enjoy getting the opportunity to coach her.”
Aneesah Morrow breaks out in the second half, posts career-high
UNCASVILLE, CT – JUNE 18: Aneesah Morrow #24 of the Connecticut Sun dribbles the ball during the game on June 18, 2025 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)NBAE via Getty Images
Aneesah Morrow had her best game in a Sun uniform, finishing with a game-high 16 points off the bench in just under 23 minutes played, grabbing nine rebounds and snatching three steals as well.
All of her points came in the second half, an impressive showing in itself of her scoring ability — only to have the task of guarding Thomas on the other side of the court.
“(Thomas is) a great all-around player, she’s a great passer, makes sure her teammates get open but also can rebound and create for (herself),” Morrow said. “Just going out there and competing. I knew it was going to be a tough assignment, but not backing down from the challenge.
“Just continue to work, knowing that I can compete and be able to sit down and defend, be able to stay in front of my (opponent) any night and that’s my goal — I want to be able to be defensive stopper.”
The No. 7 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft had a slow start to the season, missing the first two games with a knee injury. She did not participate in Connecticut’s last two games against Chicago and Indiana prior to her first double-digit scoring performance on Wednesday.
But as challenging as this period has been on her, the 22-year-old rookie is doing her best to keep everything in perspective.
“(I’m) giving myself grace, just staying patient and trusting my journey, my process and embracing it,” Morrow said. “Continue to work, continue to be that all-around teammate… never get complacent throughout the process, just stay as focused as I can to develop everyday.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Sun, her second double-double of the season. Jacy Sheldon had 13 points for Connecticut as well, while Marina Mabrey had a team-high seven assists but struggled from the field, scoring just eight points on 2-11 from the field.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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