Connecticut cruises past Taurasi and Phoenix before a sellout crowd – The Collinsville Press

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)