UNCASVILLE, Sept. 17, 2024 – Championship teams make runs and make stands.

When the 2024 WNBA season is complete, the Connecticut Sun hope to be one of those championship teams. The Sun showed that they can make a run and make a stand Tuesday night against the Minnesota Lynx.

But on this evening, it was the visiting Lynx with the last shot of the game to beat the Sun, 78-76 before 8,174 at Mohegan Sun Arena and clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs that begin Sunday.

The two teams combined to sink four shots in the final 23 seconds of the game with the lead changing each time the ball fell through the basket.

Down by one, Minnesota’s Bridget Carleton hit her third 3-point field goal from 33-feet away with 3.4 seconds remaining to give the Lynx a 78-76 lead.

Connecticut (27-12) trailed by 12 points in the third quarter but battled back throughout the fourth quarter, finally taking the lead on a DiJonai Carrington drive to the basket and foul shot with 2:24 remaining that brought the crowd to their feet. DeWanna Bonner started the ball with a steal, tapping the ball away from Minnesota’s Alanna Smith.

And from that point, both teams hit shots down the stretch.

Minnesota led by one, 73-72 when Thomas it an 13-foot shot in the lane off a pass from Marina Mabrey with 22.9 seconds remaining to give the Sun a 74-73 lead.

Former UConn star Napheesa Collier drove past Thomas at the other end to score with 11.4 seconds remaining for a 75-74 advantage. The Sun responded with DeWanna Bonner taking a sharp pass from Thomas in the lane with 8.5 seconds left for a 76-75 lead.

“That was a tough one,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “In the fourth quarter, our defensive energy was good. We made some plays down the stretch but they made just one more play. That was a heck of a shot by Carleton. They’re a tough team because they can in all five positions the way they spread the floor.”

Minnesota’s Alanna Smith (8) tries to get past Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner in Tuesday night’s WNBA game in Uncasville.

Collier was simply outstanding for the Lynx, who have won seven straight games and 14 of their last 15 contests. She had a game-high 25 points, sinking 11-of-16 shots from the floor. Carleton had 13 points while Kayla McBride had 14.

Former Sun guard Courtney Williams still showed the speed and quickness she had while playing with the Sun. She hit some big shots for Minnesota and had some bigger assists – a game-high 12 assists.

Thomas led Connecticut with 18 points while Carrington added 15. Mabrey added 13 points off the bench and hit 3-of-8 from three-point range.

With a win over Chicago on Thursday, the Sun could clinch the No. 3 seed and a date with Indiana and rookie-of-the-year candidate Caitlyn Clark for a best-of-three first round series that begins Sunday.

What the Sun lost against the Lynx was an opportunity for the No. 2 seed and home court advantage in a possible semifinal bout against Minnesota.

Still, with a win over Chicago, the Sun would not have to meet the top seed New York Liberty until the final if they get that far.

Minnesota grabbed an early lead by making their first five field goals. An 11-2 run by Connecticut gave them a 20-15 lead with 1:35 to play in the quarter, but Minnesota finished the opening frame on a quick 7-2 spurt to tie the game, 22-22, heading into the second quarter.

Minnesota had a five-point lead at the half, 42-37 and extended that lead in the third quarter to 12 points.

At one point, the frustration was beginning to show. Williams hit a floating 18-foot jumper and Harris missed a three-point shot at the other end for Connecticut. McBride grabbed the rebound and fired it up court to Williams, who drained another jumper from 20 feet away for a 62-50 lead.

Thomas slammed the ball to the court as the Sun called timeout to regroup.

In the fourth quarter, Thomas played with a sense of urgency. She wasn’t willing to let this game slip away.

“She gave us that spark and that energy and that will-to-win factor,” Mabrey said. “When she does that everyone jumps on board and tries to match that.”

With 5:05 left in the game, the Sun trailed by eight but Thomas stole the ball from Williams and drove the length of the floor for two points. The Sun played solid defense and forced a shot clock violation and there was Thomas with her seventh assist of the game on a cutting drive to the basket by Carrington to cut the lead to four.

Down by five, Thomas grabbed the rebound following a missed shot from Courtney Williams and found Bonner, who hit a 25-foot jumper to cut the lead to two, 69-67 with 2:54 remaining.

Minnesota 78, Connecticut 76
At Uncasville
Minnesota (78) Carleton 4-8 2-2 13, Collier 11-16 2-2 25, Smith 2-6 1-1 9, McBride 3-11 6-6 14, Williams 4-13 0-0 8, Hiedeman 0-3 0-0 0, Zandalasini 0-1 0-0 0, Hines-Allen 4-6 1-2 9. Totals 30-64 12-13 78
Connecticut (76) Bonner 4-10 0-0 9, Thomas 9-12 0-0 18, Jones 3-8 4-6 10, Carrington 5-12 5-5 15, Harris 3-8 0-0 9, Mabrey 5-14 0-0 13, Burton 0-0 0-0 0, Nelson-Ododa 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-66 9-11 76
Minnesota (30-9)        22  20  20  16  — 78
Connecticut (27-12)    22  15  16  23  — 76
Three-point goals: Minnesota 6-14 (Carleton 3-4, Collier 1-3, Smith 0-1, McBride 2-6), Connecticut 7-20 (Bonner 1-4, Carrington 0-2, Harris 3-6, Mabrey 3-8). Att. 8,174