Ty Harris leads Sun to win over Lynx, helping Connecticut avoid WNBA playoff elimination

Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images

Ty Harris led the way with 20 points, and the Connecticut Sun staved off elimination with a 92-82 win.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — In the Connecticut Sun’s previous two games — both losses against the Minnesota Lynx — Ty Harris played a combined 13 minutes, and was held scoreless, seemingly still not herself since her return from injury. Harris, who has been one of Connecticut’s key players all season, sprained her ankle just four minutes into the WNBA postseason, missing the subsequent three games — all wins. While she made her return on Tuesday, in Game 2 against Minnesota, she came off the bench and played limited minutes.

After back-to-back losses, the Sun found themselves in a 2-1 series hole, facing elimination against the Lynx. Ahead of a must-win Game 4, head coach Stephanie White made it clear that Harris was needed. She’d be back in the starting lineup in place of Marina Mabrey — and was expected to contribute as she has all year.

“We need her to be out there,” White said pregame. “We need her to take shots for us. We need to be a shot maker for us. We need her to be a solid defender for us. So she’s got to be in the rotation.”

Harris responded. The 5’ 10 guard, one of Connecticut’s top shooters all year, exploded for 20 points — 13 of which came in the second half. She shot 4-5 from beyond the arc, responsible for half of Connecticut’s 8 total three-pointers.

In turn, the Sun, who seemed lethargic and out of focus in Game 3, came away with a 92-82 win.

Turning things around was a team effort. Connecticut trailed by 7 at the half, but responded with a massive third quarter in which they outscored the Lynx 25-13.

Alyssa Thomas, who shot just 2-10 in the first half, bounced back with a 14-point second half performance to finish the game with 18 points on 8/17 shooting. Bonner had one of her best performances of the postseason, scoring 18 points on 8-12 shooting. DiJonai Carrington added 15 points on 6-10 shooting, while Marina Mabrey added 10 points off the bench.

Ty Harris addresses a raucous Mohegan Sun crowd after the victory.

“We forced it to Game 5, and we’re going to do it there.”

The series will return to Minneapolis, where the Lynx and Sun will face off in a deciding Game 5. The winner of that series will advance to the WNBA finals, which will tip off at Barclay’s Center on Thursday at 8pm ET. Earlier on Sunday, the Liberty defeated the Aces, 76-62, in Game 4.