2019 Connecticut Sun season
WNBA team season
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The 2019 WNBA season was the 21st season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It was also the 17th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The team opened the season on May 25 versus the Washington Mystics.[1]
| 2019 Connecticut Sun season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Curt Miller |
| Arena | Mohegan Sun Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 23–11 (.676) |
| Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | 2nd seed; lost in WNBA Finals to Washington Mystics 2-3 |
| Media | |
| Television | NESN |
The Sun started the season well, posting a 9–4 record through the end of June. They were especially strong at home, going 6–0 over the first two months of the season. The end of June into the beginning of July proved to be a rough patch for the team. They lost five straight games from June 23 to July 10. This stretch included one of only two home losses on the season. After this losing streak, the Sun went on a seven game winning streak that lasted from July 12 to August 4. The Sun's final record in July was 5–2. The Sun didn't lose in August and posted an 8–3 record. The Sun's other home loss came on September 6 as the team closed out the season 1–2 in September. The Sun clinched a playoff berth on August 18, and their final 23–11 record earned them the second seed in the playoffs.
As the second seed, the Sun earned a bye through to the Semifinals. There, they met the #3 seed Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun proved to be too much for the Sparks, sweeping them three games to none. They advanced to the finals where they faced off against the #1 seed Washington Mystics. In a tightly contested finals, the Sun ultimately came up short, losing two games to three.
Transactions
WNBA draft
The Sun made the following selections in the 2019 WNBA draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kristine Anigwe |  United States |
California |
| 2 | 21 | Bridget Carleton |  Canada |
Iowa State |
| 3 | 33 | Regan Magarity |  Sweden |
Virginia Tech |
Trades/Roster Changes
| Date | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| February 7, 2019 | Re-signed G Jasmine Thomas[2][3] | |
| February 27, 2019 | Signed F Ariel Edwards to Training Camp Contract[4] | |
| March 22, 2019 | Signed G Brianna Kiesel to Training Camp Contract[5] | |
| April 10, 2019 | Traded G Lexie Brown to Minnesota in exchange for G Natisha Hiedeman.[6] | |
| April 11, 2019 | Signed F Emma Cannon to Training Camp Contract[7] | |
| April 27, 2019 | Traded F Chiney Ogwumike to Sparks in exchange for the Spark's first round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft[8] | |
| May 7, 2019 | Waived F Ariel Edwards and G Brianna Kiesel[9] | |
| August 6, 2019 | Traded C/F Kristine Anigwe to Dallas Wings for C/F Theresa Plaisance[10] | |
Roster
| 2019 Connecticut Sun roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Game log
Preseason
| 2019 pre-season game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 2–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–0)
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| 2019 pre-season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 5–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Semifinals: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
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WNBA Finals: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Mystics (1) | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 13–3 |
| 2 | Connecticut Sun (2) | 23 | 11 | .676 | 3 | 15–2 | 8–9 | 11–5 |
| 3 | Chicago Sky (5) | 20 | 14 | .588 | 6 | 12–5 | 8–9 | 11–5 |
| 4 | e –Indiana Fever | 13 | 21 | .382 | 13 | 7–10 | 6–11 | 7–9 |
| 5 | e –New York Liberty | 10 | 24 | .294 | 16 | 4–13 | 6–11 | 3–13 |
| 6 | e –Atlanta Dream | 8 | 26 | .235 | 18 | 5–12 | 3–14 | 3–13 |
Playoffs
| First round Single elimination (Sept. 11) | Second round Single elimination (Sept. 15) | Semifinals Best-of-5 (Sept. 17 – 24) | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 (Sept. 29 – Oct. 10) | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Washington Mystics | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 93 | 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago Sky | 105 | 5 | Chicago Sky | 92 | 1 | Washington Mystics | 3 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 76 | 2 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 92 | 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Seattle Storm | 84 | 6 | Seattle Storm | 69 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx | 74 | ||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
- Bold – Game or series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
Statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonquel Jones | 34 | 34 | 28.8 | 44.8 | 30.9 | 81.8 | 9.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 14.6 |
| Courtney Williams | 34 | 34 | 29.1 | 43.5 | 45.7 | 80.0 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 13.2 |
| Alyssa Thomas | 34 | 34 | 30.2 | 50.5 | 0 | 49.6 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 11.6 |
| Jasmine Thomas | 34 | 34 | 29.7 | 39.2 | 36.6 | 80.0 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 11.1 |
| Shekinna Stricklen | 34 | 34 | 23.7 | 40.8 | 38.2 | 81.5 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 9.0 |
| Bria Holmes | 34 | 0 | 15.6 | 39.9 | 31.7 | 67.2 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
| Layshia Clarendon | 9 | 0 | 15.3 | 41.9 | 100 | 85.7 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0 | 6.2 |
| Morgan Tuck | 33 | 0 | 10.7 | 38.8 | 35.7 | 60.0 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| Natisha Hiedeman | 20 | 0 | 10.3 | 41.4 | 46.4 | 50.0 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| Rachel Banham | 29 | 0 | 12.2 | 32.2 | 30.6 | 69.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.6 |
| Brionna Jones | 27 | 0 | 8.4 | 46.7 | 0 | 66.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| Theresa Plaisance | 9 | 0 | 7.1 | 34.8 | 33.3 | 100 | 1.8 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonquel Jones | WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week | June 3, 2019 | [11] |
| June 10, 2019 | [12] | ||
| June 17, 2019 | [13] | ||
| July 15, 2019 | [14] | ||
| Alyssa Thomas | WNBA All-Star Selection | July 15, 2019 | [15] |
| Jonquel Jones | |||
| Courtney Williams | WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week | September 3, 2019 | [16] |
| Jonquel Jones | Peak Performer: Rebounds | September 9, 2019 | [17] |