Connecticut
Connecticut cruises past Taurasi and Phoenix before a sellout crowd – The Collinsville Press
Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi drives to the basket during Sunday’s WNBA game in Uncasville. The Sun won, 96-69.
UNCASVILLE, July 14, 2024 – Diana Taurasi first came to Connecticut in 2000 to share her basketball talents with the University of Connecticut. After three national championships in four years, she moved on to the WNBA where she was the No. 1 draft pick of the 2004 draft by the Phoenix Mercury.
Taurasi has been yearly visits back to Connecticut for the past 20 years, always getting a warm ovation from the crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
The oldest current player in the WNBA at the age of 42, Taurasi made what may be her final appearance on the hardwood in Uncasville on Sunday. She returned to the floor after missing three games with a lower back injury.
It wasn’t her finest hour nor was it for the Mercury (12-12), who were rolled by Connecticut, 96-69 in front of a sellout crowd of 8,910.
Rachel Banham came off the bench for the Sun (18-5) and tied a season-high with 24 points, sinking eight of 11 shots from beyond the three-point line – the most three-point shots in WNBA history in a single game from a player off the bench.
DeWanna Bonner had 17 points for Connecticut while Brionna Jones added 16. DiJonai Carrington scored 12, pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and had four assists.
Kahleah Cooper had 17 points for Phoenix including 10 in the first quarter. But she had just seven points in the final three quarters. Brittney Griner had 16 points and nine rebounds with Taurasi finishing with six points on 2-of-6 shooting. The three-time WNBA champion and six-time U.S. Olympian had six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Taurasi is preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris with her record sixth invitation to play with Team USA. “It’s an honor to play for your country. You should never take it for granted, whether it is your first trip or your sixth one,” she said. “I’ve always said if I am willing and able and I can still bring something to the team, I will put that (USA) jersey on.”
Taurasi, Cooper and Phoenix Britney Griner will be on Team USA along with Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas, who scored just six points in a season-low 22 minutes. But that was OK with Banham leading the way for the Sun bench that contributed 37 points.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” said Banham, who rejoined the Sun last spring after four years in Minnesota. “I am confident, ready. I knew my time was coming, I was wishing it was sooner. But it just felt really good to feel like myself and get into rhythm and get to stay out there (on the floor).”
Banham tied the Sun record for most three-point shots in a game with Shekinna Stricklen, who sank eight in a 2017 game against Dallas.
Sun coach Stephanie White once saw Banham score 63 points in a college game at Northwestern. “In the W, she’s mostly a volume shooter as opposed to always being a playmaker. She hunts for the right shots. She has a quick release, her feet are always and she is always ready.
“I am happy she able to come in and have such a big game,” White said. “We needed it. We needed that production from her.”
Banham’s ability to hit three-point shots was one of the reasons that the Sun signed her as a free agent. Connecticut will need that outside threat to give Bonner, Thomas and Brionna Jones a bit of relief inside from defenses that would pack the lane without the threat of an outside shooter.
The game was tied 20-20 after one quarter with Cooper getting 10 points by several uncontested drives to the basket.
Connecticut’s Brionna Jones (42) scored 16 points in Sunday’s win over Phoenix.
Carrington bore down defensively. She looked up at the scoreboard to see what Cooper had done.
“All right, it’s time to lock in,” Carrington said of her mindset after the first 10 minutes. “I take that stuff personally As a person who cares about defense and considers themselves a defensive player, you care about that type of stuff. (Cooper) hit some tough shots but I have to make them tougher. She can’t get straight line drives down the left side. I focused.”
Banham hit four three-point shots and had 12 points in the second quarter. The game was tied at 29-29 before the Sun went on a 12-4 to take command. Jones had six points in the run with Banham getting three points.
Connecticut led by six at the half, 48-42, but held Phoenix to just nine points in the third quarter, the lowest scoring quarter of the year for a Sun opponent.
“We were just moving and playing off each other,” Carrington said. “We were making them make an extra pass, make an extra pass, (commit) shot clock violations and deflections. We were just active and we were having fun. You could tell.”
Added Banham, “We did a good job of being active there were a good amount of deflections that led to steals. We were transitioning out of it. When we are playing well on the defensive end, we’re flying around.”
The Sun scored a season-high 96 points, made a season-high 37 field goals, dished out a season-high 26 assists and tallied a season-high 37 bench points. The team also tied its season-highs for three-pointers made (10) and offensive rebounds (16).
Only 10 players in WNBA history have recorded a game with eight or more three-point makes. The last player to achieve the feat prior to Banham was New York’s Sabrina Ionescu on June 9, 2023 with eight triples against the Atlanta Dream.
Connecticut moves to 10-3 at home this season heading into the Olympic break where Taurasi will join the U.S. Olympic team.
Retirement? Good question.
“I love everything about it,” Taurasi said referring to playing basketball. “We tend to ask that (retirement) question lightly.
She turned to one of the half dozen of Connecticut-based reporters chatting with her before the game. “It’s your profession. You’ve done it all your life. Journalism,” she said. “Well on this side, it is all I’ve known since I was five and I am not going to make a rash decision on when to give it all up. That is something that will be (a) very personal (decision) with me and my family.”
Connecticut 96, Phoenix 69
At Uncasville
Phoenix (69) Allen 2-7 0-0 6, Copper 8-17 0-0 17, Griner 7-15 2-3 16, Taurasi 2-6 0-0 6, Cloud 4-10 1-2 10, Mack 2-3 0-0 4, Cunningham 2-8 2-2 7, Taylor 1-1 0-0 2, Harrigan 0-2 1-3 1. Totals 28-69 6-10 69
Connecticut (96) Bonner 8-15 1-1 17, Thomas 3-5 0-2 6, Jones 6-14 3-4 16, Carrington 3-11 5-8 12, Harris 3-11 2-4 8, Mitchell 2-5 0-0 4, Nelson Ododa 4-4 0-0 8, Banham 8-11 0-0 24, Burton 0-2 1-2 1, Ndour-Fall 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-48 12-21 96
Phoenix (12-12) 20 22 9 18 — 69
Connecticut (18-5) 20 28 19 29 — 96
Three-point goals: Phoenix 7-25 (Allen 2-5, Copper 1-4, Taurasi 2-5, Cloud 1-5, Cunningham 1-5, Harrigan 0-1); Connecticut 10-26 (Bonner 0-3, Jones 1-3, Carrington 1-4, Harris 0-2, Mitchell 0-1, Banham 8-11, Burton 0-2); Att: 8,910 (sellout)
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) — Aaliyah Edwards came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Portland Fire, 90-87, during Camp Day on Tuesday morning at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Thousands of kids were in attendance to watch the Sun hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as the Fire attempted to rally. Connecticut led by 10 at halftime and saw its lead cut to one in the final period.
Brittney Griner added 20 points for the Sun, who ended their three-game homestand with a victory. Olivia Nelson-Ododa went 8-for-8 from the foul line en route to 16 points and Leila Lacan chipped in 14.
Carla Leite led the Fire with 18 points.
The Sun visit Phoenix on Friday for the first of two games with the Mercury.
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You might have seen Connecticut’s state flag in government buildings and schools and wondered what the meaning was behind its design.
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1897, the Flag of Connecticut features a navy blue background with a white shield. Three grapevines with purple grapes are on the shield and oak leaves and acorns can be found on the shield’s edge.
Below the shield is a banner which features the phrase “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” written in Latin. According to ConnecticutHistory.org, that phrase translates to “He who transplanted still sustains,” which honors the colonists who moved to the state from England.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the three grapevines have two competing interpretations: they represent either the three oldest settlements in the state (Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor) or the three colonies that merged to form Connecticut (Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony and New Haven Colony).
Why is the Connecticut flag blue?
According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the blue comes from Connecticut’s Civil War military flags. During the Civil War, Connecticut regiments had flags featuring blue backgrounds. ConnecticutHistory.org reports that when the legislature adopted an official flag in 1897, they kept the color that military tradition had already established.
Origins of Connecticut’s state flag
Per ConnecticutHistory.org, Connecticut did not have an official state flag until 1897. The site reports that in 1895, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Groton pushed for an official flag to display in their new meeting room.
Governor Owen Vincent Coffin introduced a bill on May 29, 1895, which ConnecticutHistory.org says caused the legislature to subsequently form a committee. After several designs were submitted, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the flag in 1897.
Connecticut’s coat of arms, which includes the shield, grapevines and banner featured on the state flag, was not formally standardized until 1931, according to USASymbol.com. The website also says color standards for the flag came in 1956, when the Secretary of the State’s office developed uniform specifications.
A hit HBO documentary series is looking to Connecticut for stories to feature in its second season.
The show “Neighbors” follows on-going neighbor disputes across the country. The goal of the show is to help neighbors reach a resolution, according to the show’s casting director and executive producer Harleigh Shaw.
“Each story we explore, we spend extensive time with neighbors on both sides to really understand the full context beyond the disputes,” Shaw said.
Producers wanted to share stories in the second season that were based in states that weren’t featured earlier this year in the first season, including Connecticut, Shaw said.
“A lot of the things that we’re most interested in are things that may seem small, but become a bigger issue between the neighbors,” Shaw said. “Anything from disagreements over gardening practices to property lines to noise to dock issues, if it’s a waterfront property. A whole myriad of things. We’re really open to anything.”
However, the show does avoid situations that are violent or dangerous.
Residents from Connecticut looking to participate should be open to third party conflict resolution, according to Shaw.
“Some of the ways that we did that were through mediation,” Shaw said. “That’s a huge one. But there are other things in terms of resources we’d be open to help the neighbors to like help work through the issues.”
Filming will take place throughout the summer and is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The show’s production team is located in New York City and Los Angeles.
“Connecticut has always been really interesting because it’s just a short trip away, and we’re just curious to explore the types of neighbor dynamics that are going on there,” Shaw said.
Connecticut residents who are interested in being on “Neighbors,” can apply at helloneighbortv.com and are encouraged to submit information about themselves as well as their neighbor dispute.
“The neighbor disputes are the entry point for this show, but we’re always also just very interested in inspiring amazing people doing cool stuff,” Shaw said.
“Neighbors” premiered in February and was quickly renewed. The show averages about 3 million viewers per episode.
The show features stories that make viewers laugh and cringe, according to HBO Programming’s Executive Vice President Nina Rosenstein.
“At a time when even the smallest disagreements can spiral out of control, ‘Neighbors’ feels both hilariously absurd and surprisingly relatable,” Rosenstein said. “What makes the show special isn’t just the stories and people they find, but the empathy and humanity they bring to each episode.”
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