Brooklyn, NY (September 26, 2023)-  Connecticut Sun (27-13, 1-1) fell to the New York Liberty (32-8, 1-1), 84-77, in Game 2 of the WNBA Semifinals. The series is now tied 1-1 as the teams head back to Connecticut for Games 3 and 4.

The Sun was led by Tiffany Hayes who tied her postseason career-high with 30 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

1Q- Connecticut trailed New York, 9-7, heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Hayes led the Sun early, tallying all seven points through the first five minutes of the first. After trailing by as many as seven with 3:40 to go in the quarter, 14-7, the Sun were able to close the first on a 15-2 run to take a 22-16 lead heading into the second. Hayes led the Sun with 12 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal after ten minutes of play.

2Q- The Sun opened the second on a 6-2 spurt to force the Liberty into a timeout with 7:37 to go in the first half, 28-18. DeWanna Bonner had four of Connecticut’s six on that stretch. The Liberty responded on an 11-6 run to cut the Sun’s lead to five, 34-29, with 3:46 to go in the quarter. New York finished the quarter outscoring Connecticut, 9-8, the rest of the way to cut the Sun’s lead to four, 42-38, heading into the break. Hayes led all scorers with 17 points. Bonner added 11 points, four rebounds and one assist, while Alyssa Thomas four points, four rebounds and five assists for the Sun after twenty minutes of action.

3Q- New York opened the second half on an 11-7 run to take a 49-47 lead and forcing Connecticut into a timeout with 6:52 to go in the third. The Liberty rattled off seven unanswered out of that timeout to extend their lead to nine, 56-47, with 4:50 remaining in the quarter. Connecticut finished the quarter on a 10-3 run over the last 4:50 to cut New York’s lead to two, 59-57, heading into the fourth. Hayes, Bonner and Thomas each tallied four points in the third to pace Connecticut in scoring.

4Q- The Liberty opened the fourth on a 13-5 run to take a ten-point lead, 72-62, with 7:05 to go in the game. The Sun were able to cut it five twice down the stretch, but the Liberty were able to pull out the 84-77 victory, outscoring the Sun, 25-20, in the fourth quarter. Hayes tallied nine of her 30 points in the closing ten minutes to lead Connecticut.

New York was led by Sabrina Ionescu who notched 21 points, going 10-10 from the charity stripe.

Sun Notes:

• DeWanna Bonner finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
• Alyssa Thomas filled the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and one steal.
• Ty Harris notched eight points, one rebound, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes off the bench.
• DeWanna Bonner moved into first all-time in three-point field goals made in Connecticut Sun postseason history (46). She also moved into sixth all-time in WNBA postseason history (90).
• DeWanna Bonner moved into sixth all-time in games played in Connecticut Sun postseason history (28).
• The Sun shot 39.7% (27-68), while the Liberty went 44.6% (29-65) on the night.
• Connecticut won the battle in bench points (12-4) and in second chance opportunities (9-7), but New York outscored Connecticut in the paint (32-24) and on the fast break (16-5).

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun host the New York Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA Semifinals on Friday, September 29 at 7:30 PM ET at Mohegan Sun Arena.