Sun silence Sparks down stretch, earn 79-67 win

Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double and the Connecticut Sun held the host Los Angeles Sparks to one point in the final 6:43 to come away with a 79-67 victory on Sunday night.

Thomas had 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Brionna Jones had a team-high 21 points for Connecticut before fouling out with 5:17 left in the game, and DiJonai Carrington added 19 points.

The Sun (25-10) are one game behind the Minnesota Lynx for the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs.

Los Angeles got a big game from rookie Rickea Jackson, who had 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, but the Sun ended the contest on a 15-1 run. The Sparks (7-28) have lost four games in a row and 11 of their past 12.

Jackson made a spinning jumper with 6:44 left in the fourth quarter to give the Sparks a 66-64 lead, but that was the last field goal made by Los Angeles. Marina Mabrey made a 3 to give the Sun the lead at 67-66 with 6:26 to go, and Carrington chipped in with seven points down the stretch to headline the dominant game-closing run.

Mabrey came off the bench in the first quarter to key a 7-2 run that put Connecticut on top 19-13. She hit a triple and converted a layup off a steal as part of the burst.

Los Angeles closed the frame with five straight points, including a long trey by Li Yueru, to pull within one.

The momentum carried over into the second quarter for the Sparks, with Jackson scoring seven points during a 9-3 rally that put Los Angeles ahead 27-22.

Connecticut went nearly three minutes without a basket near the end of the first half, and Kia Nurse knocked down a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to send the Sparks into the break with a 45-39 edge.

The Sun eventually tied the game at 49 with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter, but Los Angeles took a 58-55 advantage into the fourth.

The two teams meet again on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

--Field Level Media