The Connecticut Sun were living on a razor-thin margin during their 9-0 start to the season with five wins by single digits, and a close game eventually fell the other way in an 82-75 loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday.

The Sun’s problems against New York were largely the same ones they have faced in every other game: A sluggish start especially on the defensive end, poor 3-point shooting, and a third quarter lead that turned into a fourth-quarter deficit. Connecticut has managed to dig itself out of first-quarter holes and hold off late comebacks time and time again during its undefeated streak, but the Liberty exposed how unsustainable that scenario can be against the most talented teams in the league.

“We’ve been talking the same stuff about our starts and it bites you in the butt a lot, but certainly against a good team who can make you pay,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “They just took advantage of every miscue that we had … and you just don’t have the opportunity against great teams to have those lulls on either side of the floor, those breakdowns.”

The Liberty were missing starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot, out for personal reasons, but the change to forward Kayla Thornton in the lineup presented a difficult look for the Sun. Star shooter Sabrina Ionescu was shifted into a matchup offensively with Connecticut’s Tyasha Harris at point guard rather than against the Sun’s go-to perimeter defender DiJonai Carrington. Despite going 0-for-8 from the field through the second and third quarter, Ionescu hit every look she got when her hand was hot and went a perfect 8-for-8 combined in the first and fourth quarters.

“This is a different New York lineup without Sloot on the floor. They’re bigger,” White said. “They did some things on the offensive end using their size with some of our smaller guards. They did some different things on the defensive end that … probably forced us to go a little bit deeper into our reads than we’ve had to do … so that’s just a natural progression. We haven’t had to do that in a live-game situation, so now we can go to film and watch it.”

The biggest long-term question for the Sun is size, especially after the team waived forward Queen Egbo this week to sign point guard Veronica Burton. Center Brionna Jones, who is supposed to be under a minutes restriction, saw the floor for a season-high 35 minutes against the Liberty to give Connecticut a chance to contend defensively with the 7-foot wingspans of Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart. Olivia Nelson-Ododa has come a long way as a role player for the Sun, but the third-year center isn’t in a place to contribute significant minutes yet against two former league MVPs, and Astou Ndour-Fall didn’t even see the floor against New York.

“We didn’t go to our bench as much tonight, but certainly when you look at the lineup New York has on the floor, you want to try and match it, and they didn’t go to their bench a lot either,” White said. “Their length causes us some problems … Where we typically are able to use our physicality to score, when you have teams that have that extra length it makes it a little bit tougher. They can change up how they defend, guarding really two through five they can switch everything … and they slow us down because of that.”

Connecticut Sun’s season-starting win streak comes to an end in 82-75 loss to New York Liberty

The Indiana Fever are an ideal opponent for the Sun to recover from their first loss of 2024, especially with only a single day of turnaround before the matchup at Mohegan Sun Arena on Monday. Connecticut has already seen the Fever twice this season and come out with two victories, first a 92-71 rout at home on May 14 then a closer 88-84 win in Indiana six days later.

Indiana is coming off the high of an 85-83 win over the Washington Mystics on Friday, where No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark had the best game of her young career. She logged 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals, also shooting a season-best 8-for-15. But Connecticut has a strong formula for containing the rookie, spearheaded by the relentless effort from Carrington. Clark gave up a combined 15 turnovers across two games against the Sun, and she struggled to find her signature long-range 3-pointers especially in the first meeting.

The Fever are also without Temi Fagbenle due to a foot injury, and she was electric off the bench in the second game against Connecticut with 11 points shooting 5-for-6. Jones was able to play under 25 minutes in both previous matchups with Indiana, and less forward depth for the Fever means the Sun can also turn to their guard-heavy bench rotation earlier and more often.

“This is a veteran group, so they understand the ebbs and flows of this league,” White said. “We have to continue to stack days. If we had a three or four minute lull in this game, it’s got to be two or three minutes in the next game. … We understand that we’re not playing perfect basketball at this point in the season, but we’ve got to minimize when those things happen.

How to watch Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever

Site: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville

Team records: Sun 9-1; Fever 3-9

Time: 7 p.m., Monday

Last meeting: 88-84, Dallas; Aug. 18, 2023 at Mohegan Sun Arena

TV: NBC Sports Boston (local)

Streaming: WNBA League Pass

Dr. Erin Masur Joins Connecticut Department of Agriculture

PUBLISHED ON June 9, 2024

HARTFORD, Conn. — Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that Dr. Erin Masur, DVM, has joined the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) as interim State Veterinarian within the Bureau of Regulatory Services. Dr. Masur succeeds Dr. Jane Lewis, DVM, DACVPM who was appointed in 2021 and has departed for a position with United States Department of Agriculture.

“We wish Dr. Lewis all the best in her next chapter and appreciate Dr. Masur stepping into this critical role as it relates to the health of animal agriculture throughout the state and the public at large,” said Commissioner Hurlburt. “Providing continuity of services is important to the agency, especially in a time of emerging animal health issues and upcoming fair season, and we are confident that Dr. Masur’s experience and skill will deliver for our constituents.”

The State Veterinarian directs the overall responsibility of the Animal Health Division, performing administrative, supervisory, financial, technical, and professional duties relative to functions of the agency. They educate the public on prevention, control, and eradication of contagious and infectious disease and the regulation of livestock programs within the state. In addition, the State Veterinarian leads and supervises a team of inspectors and other administrative support staff. Dr. Masur will fulfill these duties while CT DoAg conducts their hiring search to appoint the next State Veterinarian.

“I place a high value on the work that our farmers do, and I appreciate the efforts taken in Connecticut to support our agricultural producers,” said Dr. Masur. “This is an opportunity for me to use my private practice experience to safeguard animal health statewide during this transitional time period.”

Dr. Masur has spent her career focused on small ruminants, pseudo ruminants, large ruminants, and poultry. Currently, she is the owner of a Bantam-based livestock practice that offers traditional ambulatory medicine and surgery for food-producing species. The practice was founded with a greater mission to use community and collaboration to provide educational opportunities to producers and farmers, fellow veterinary practices, ag societies, and first responders. She also acts as the Professor of Large Animal Clinical Nursing for CT State Colleges and Universities. Dr. Masur has used her career to prioritize public health and optimize the health and wellness of the animals of agriculture since graduating Ross University as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state’s citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state’s economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.

–Connecticut Department of Agriculture

The K-9 who served with the Connecticut State trooper who was killed in a hit-and-run last month is set to retire and live with his partner’s family,

Connecticut State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier had worked alongside K-9 Roso — a German Shepard — for nearly three years before his death during a routine traffic stop on May 30, according to the Hartford Courant.

“The CSP K9 Unit anticipates an imminent retirement for K9 Roso, who will remain with the Pelletier Family,” the Connecticut State Police said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Pelletier, 44, was working overtime on the traffic enforcement detail when he pulled over a driver not wearing a seatbelt on Interstate 84 in Southington at around 2:36 p.m.

As he was talking to the driver, a pickup truck entered the right shoulder and struck Pelletier, his cruiser and the stopped vehicle before fleeing down the road.

Pelletier was pronounced dead at the scene.

Roso was inside Pelletier’s cruiser at the time of the crash, but wasn’t seriously injured.

Pelletier and Roso graduated together at the Connecticut State Police Academy in December 2021, the outlet reported.

Alex Oyola-Sanchez, the driver of the pickup, was arrested several towns over on I-84 and charged with second-degree manslaughter, operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs and several other crimes.

Oyola-Sanchez’s lawyers entered a not-guilty plea during a court hearing Thursday, the case was continued to July 2.

In the wake of Pelletier’s death, and a show of support for the fallen trooper, Wethersfield town Council Member Rich Bailey (R) suggested the town raise the “thin blue line” flag over town hall.

The flag is traditionally flown to support police officers.

The Wethersfield Town Council, consisting of 6 democrats and 3 republicans, shot down the request claiming that the flag represents divisiveness and racism to some.

The council had already voted to fly the LGBTQ flag in honor of June’s Pride Month and ordered the flag — along with the American and Connecticut state flags — to be flown at half-mast after shooting down the request.

Pelletier’s wife flew her own “thin blue line” flag outside her home to honor her late husband on Friday, The Post reported.

Dominique Pelletier, 34, who shared two sons with her husband, had the flag poignantly flying half-staff outside the family’s home in Southington outside of Hartford even as she received threats for the symbolic gesture.

The widow gave a tearful tribute to her husband at the ceremony saying Pelletier wasn’t just her husband.

“You were my home. You were my heart. You were my safe place and my provider. My best friend. My secret keeper. My favorite gossiper,” Dominique said at the funeral last Wednesday.

“The light in our smiles will be forever dimmed and the thought of this world without that laugh seems unimaginable but has already become real,” she said. “I promise to keep you alive in our home, in our heart and in our boys’ memories forever. I love you, and I miss you.”

With Post wires