– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — Most times, basketball players are not the biggest fans of looking over their shoulders, particularly when the specter of being substituted for hangs above their heads. On Friday night, those waiting in the wings for the Connecticut Sun also happened to be the ones chiefly responsible for one of the team’s most stirring comebacks of their season.
Reserve Kennedy Burke scored seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial three-pointer with just under two minutes remaining as the Sun roared back from a 16-point deficit to stun the Phoenix Mercury 75-72 inside Mohegan Sun Arena. Another substitute, Aaliyah Edwards, chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds while Brittney Griner preserved the win by blocking Kelsey Plum’s game-tying three-point attempt just before time expired.
Burke and Edwards were the only Connecticut players to score in double figures, and both played massive roles in the Sun’s second-half turnaround. Edwards was subbed into the game just over two minutes into the third quarter after Olivia Nelson-Ododa picked up her third foul, and the former scored baskets on two of Connecticut’s next three ensuing possessions. Edwards had six points and three rebounds in the quarter as the Sun erased an eight-point halftime deficit and outscored Phoenix 17-9 to pull even at 49 to start the final stanza.
Phoenix opened up a 61-56 lead almost halfway through the fourth before an 8-0 run gave Connecticut its first lead of the game. After Edwards hit two free throws, Burke nailed a three-pointer just before the five-minute mark to tie the game at 61. Saniya Rivers scored on a layup on the following possession to edge the Sun in front at 63-61. Rivers, Edwards and Burke, who all started the game on the bench, each played at least six of the 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, with Burke playing every second.
New Mercury acquisition Kelsey Plum hit a three with 2:10 remaining to cut the Mercury’s deficit to one at 69-68 before, with the shot clock running out, Burke responded with a trey of her own.
Plum led the Mercury with 25 points on 9-of-16 from the field while Kahleah Copper had 16 points.
Phoenix’s visit to Connecticut also meant a reunion with two former Sun players; Alyssa Thomas had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists while DeWanna Bonner had a rough shooting night as she scored just six points on 3-of-12 shooting, missing all six of her three-point attempts.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST photo editor Erica Denhoff. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 21 pictures in total.
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