– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — As emotional and painful as it was for Connecticut Sun fans seeing their team play its final game after more than two decades of showing out and creating one of the most intimate and loyal fanbases in professional sports, almost all of the 8,911 in attendance — and many New England residents — surely could take solace in being physically and spiritually present to send the team out knowing that their lives were made all the better for the memories and bonding the franchise provided a region that loved it wholly and will miss them dearly.
Or as Maya Angelou once put it, “No sun outlasts its sunset, but it will rise again and bring the dawn.”
On Thursday night, the curtain came down on the Connecticut Sun era, as the team played its final game inside Mohegan Sun Arena, a 95-81 in over the Toronto Tempo, before officially relocating to Houston for the 2027 season and rebranding as the reincarnation of the Houston Comets.
The relocation of the Sun from Orlando, where the franchise began as the Orlando Miracle ahead of the 1999 season, assured that one of the most passionate basketball fan bases in North America, driven by the emergence and eventual dynastic success of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, would have the opportunity embrace a professional basketball team all the same. The 24-year marriage yielded 15 winning seasons, four All-Star Games inside Mohegan Sun Arena and four trips to the WNBA Finals for the Sun.
The fusion between Huskies and Sun was prevalent to the very end at all levels — from Aaliyah Edwards scoring 16 points on the court to former Sun and UConn legend Nykesha Sales sitting courtside as part of the farewell festivities to team president Jen Rizzotti — Sales’ former teammate on UConn’s 1995 national championship squad — taking the mic and addressing the crowd after the victory, speaking to a number of fans who’ve been loyal season-ticket holders at Mohegan Sun as well as regular attendees at Huskies’ games.
“You guys have been our family for 24 years,” Rizzotti said. “I know how hard it is. You have proved that Connecticut deserves a WNBA team.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Thursday 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 44 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
