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Phoenix Mercury, minus Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen, lose to Connecticut Sun

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Phoenix Mercury, minus Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen, lose to Connecticut Sun


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Three games in four days took a toll on the Phoenix Mercury as injuries limited the depth in Monday’s 83-72 loss to the Connecticut Sun at Footprint Center. 

Against a dynamic team like the Sun, with the second-best record in the WNBA, the Mercury were a step slow and were decimated by the Sun’s depth. Four of the five starters were in double figures with Brionna Jones leading with 18 points. The Sun also played eight players, but outscored the Mercury’s bench, 20-2.

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The Mercury (9-10) had a short bench against the Connecticut Sun (15-4) with starters Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen out for Monday’s contest. Guard Sophie Cunningham and forward Natasha Mack started in their place.

Taurasi dealt with back soreness, while Allen had a lower back issue. The two played the day before in the loss against the Indiana Fever. Taurasi played 32 minutes and logged 19 points and three assists. Allen recorded nine points on 25 minutes. 

“When we were kids, we would play three games in one day and we’d be exhausted. I feel the same way right now,” guard Natasha Cloud said. “Moving forward, we need a decision to extend a few weeks of the season, especially with the Olympic year. It just protects players, mentally, emotionally, physically, all those things. We had a game yesterday at noon and we had a little bit of rest and are back at it again today. The toll it takes on your body from playing 30-plus minutes is a lot. You’re not going to hear any complaints from us, we showed up today.” 

Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper led all scorers with 21 points each. Griner sparked a big run in the fourth quarter with a much-needed 3-pointer. Griner, however, couldn’t make an impact on the boards, grabbing just two rebounds. 

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Copper had trouble seeing shots fall and went 1-for-4 in the first quarter. She managed seven field goals on 16 attempts, including one 3-pointer.

Rebounding was the difference in the game as the Sun dominated the boards with 37 rebounds to the Mercury’s 18. The Mercury were outscored 11-2 in second-chance points. 

The Mercury, who average 27.8 3-point attempts, couldn’t find an answer from beyond the arc and shot 3-for-17 (17.6%).

Phoenix cut a 10-point deficit to three during the fourth quarter when Cloud assisted on Mack’s layup to start a 7-0 run. Cloud helped make it a close game with the Sun, getting her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 assists. 

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But the Sun edged the Mercury with 10 points on 11 free throw attempts and pulled ahead.

“It was our third game in four nights and we were playing eight people. I was proud of the way we competed, I don’t think you saw the best version of ourselves tonight. Everything was a little bit of a step slow,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said.

Guard Charisma Osborne was out with a left lower leg injury, which made Sug Sutton, Liz Dixon, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan the only available options off the bench.

The Mercury travel to play the Dallas Wings on Wednesday at 5 p.m.



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Connecticut

Man charged with murder in Hartford

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Man charged with murder in Hartford


A man was charged with murder and interfering with police on Sunday night.

According to police, officers were dispatched to an apartment on Washington Street for a wellness check of a woman who was reportedly unconscious and not breathing.

When officers arrived, they made contact with a man in the apartment who refused to cooperate and would not allow officers access. They then had to force entry into the apartment where they located the victim suffering from severe head trauma as well as the aggressive male, police said.

The man was secured and transported to the Hartford Police Detention Facility and is being held on a million-dollar bond.

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The victim was revealed to be 76-year-old Linda Anthony and was pronounced deceased on scene.

The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.  



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Hartford police investigate a fatal vehicle accident

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Hartford police investigate a fatal vehicle accident


Hartford police are investigating a fatal vehicle accident that occurred early Sunday morning in the area of Elizabeth and North Beacon Street.

Police say they were dispatched to the area for reports of a single vehicle crash and found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata crashed into a retaining wall on the west side of the intersection.

According to police, 31-year-old Shalique Payne of Manchester sustained serious life-threatening injuries.

He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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The Hartford Police Crime Division responded and is investigating the scene.

The victim has not been identified and anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).



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Hartford Men’s Lacrosse Completes Comeback Win Against Western Connecticut State University – University of Hartford Athletics

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Hartford Men’s Lacrosse Completes Comeback Win Against Western Connecticut State University – University of Hartford Athletics


DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Hartford men’s lacrosse team picked up a huge road victory on Saturday defeating Western Connecticut State University by a 10-8 final. 

Rapid Recap:

  • The Wolves scored the first three goals of the contest over the first eight minutes of action. Hartford got their first goal nine minutes into the first as sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.) buried a goal from junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.). After an answer from West Conn, the Hawks would score back-to-back strikes as junior Jack Hart (Grafton, Mass.) scored the first goal, followed by a snipe from junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.). The Wolves would tack on a fifth goal at the buzzer to take the 5-3 advantage into the second. 
  • The home team once again scored first to double the Hawk score, but this time Hartford battled back scoring three more times with two goals coming from sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) and the other coming from Wright. Senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) came into the goalie position making three saves as the teams were tied at 6-6 at halftime. 
  • Junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) gave Hartford their first lead in the contest lighting the lamp on an assist by Wright. West Conn would respond to even the score once again. Reilly would follow it up for the Hawks on a feed from senior Aidan Kemp (South Orange, N.J.). The Wolves would even it up just a minute later to draw the score at level once again. Hartford would stay in front as Novotny scored after a save from the West Conn keeper as the Hawks led 9-8 heading into the fourth. 
  • The fourth quarter was very chippy in the early stages. Ezra would get the lone goal in the period to give Hartford the 10-8 advantage. Graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.) would cause a turnover followed by three more saves for Leibold as Hartford would pickup the 10-8 victory.

Post Game Press:
“It feels great to get a comeback win on the road against a good team”, said senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.). “We showed a lot of resilience after going down early and did what we needed to do to get the job done.”

Inside The Numbers:

  • Wright led the offense with two goals and an assist to go with four grounders and a caused turnover in the win. Ezra and Pelletier both added two goals and an assist in the victory. Kemp led the passing with two assists, while Novotny added a score and a helper. Reilly tallied two scores and Hart picked up his second collegiate goal to end the point scorers.
  • Five Hawks each had one caused turnover in the win. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) went 12-19 from the face-off dot with 10 grounders to lead the way. 
  • Sophomore CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) stopped just a single shot in 15 minutes. Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) added eight saves picking up the win while just allowing three goals in 45 minutes. 
  • Tristan McMahon led the Wolves with three goals in the loss. 
  • The Hawks held a 41-29 shots advantage in the win, while also grabbing 26 grounders compared to 24 for West Conn. 

Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Skidmore College on March 14th with a game taking place at 1:00 PM. 

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

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