Sun collapse after Bria Hartley's ejection in 101-86 loss to Sparks
Published in Basketball
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — After a promising first-half performance in its return from the WNBA All-Star break, the Connecticut Sun began the second half of the 2025 season with a 101-86 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday night.
Veteran superstar Tina Charles once again powered the Sun with 24 points, shooting 10 of 18 from the field to go with 10 rebounds and two assists, but the team was ultimately doomed when second-leading scorer Bria Hartley was ejected from the game after receiving her second technical foul early in the third quarter. Her first came late in the first quarter, and both appeared to be assessed for arguing with the officials. She exited with 16 points and Connecticut struggled to find any offensive consistency once she was off the floor.
The Sun came out like a new team in the first quarter, beginning the game by hitting five consecutive shots as the offense found a quick flow. Charles looked like the best version of herself, nailing a 3-pointer on her first field-goal attempt and flashing three fingers in celebration. She put up seven points in the opening three minutes of the game, but the first-quarter effort was balanced for Connecticut with seven scorers shooting a combined 57.9% from the field.
Star guard Marina Mabrey, who missed the previous nine games with a knee injury, checked in for the first time since June 20 to a standing ovation from the home crowd. She drew an even louder roar from the fans when she lofted a 25-foot 3-pointer cleanly through the net for her first points of the game with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Though she finished the game shooting just 2 for 11 from the field in 25 minutes, Mabrey was a defensive anchor for the Sun and logged two steals in the first half.
Connecticut hit its first slump of the game in the second quarter, missing six consecutive shots to give up a 10-0 run. The Sparks got hot from the 3-point line with back-to-back makes from guard Julie Vanloo, and after Charles finally got the Sun back on the board, former UConn standout Azura Stevens sank shots from beyond the arc on consecutive possessions to keep L.A. ahead by two scores.
Hartley and fellow former Husky Olivia Nelson-Ododa rallied the Sun out of the hole, scoring six points apiece in the final five minutes of the second quarter to power the team into halftime trailing 45-44. Nelson-Ododa was one of the most impactful players on the floor for Connecticut despite a quiet start on the stat sheet, shooting 75% from the field and leading the team in plus/minus at plus-5 in the first half.
The team never regained momentum after Hartley’s ejection, falling behind by as many as 12 points and entering the fourth quarter down nine. Charles hit one of her signature hook shots immediately following the tech, but the Sun were held without a field goal for more than three minutes after that until rookie Aneesah Morrow ended the drought on a 3-pointer. They also couldn’t contain Sparks star Kelsey Plum, who rattled off 11 points in the third quarter after being guarded by Hartley for much of the first half. Plum finished with 30 points and shot 10 for 15 from the field.
There was little attempt to fight back from Connecticut in the fourth, even as the starters remained on the floor for most of the quarter. Plum went on a solo 8-0 run that put the Sun down by 18 with more than five minutes left in the game, and Connecticut never cut its deficit to less than 16. The defense also floundered for the Sun: After logging 18 points off 10 Sparks turnovers in the first half, they forced just three in the second half and only converted one for points. Nelson-Ododa was the bright spot, scoring seven of the Sun’s 18 points in the fourth to finish with 17 plus four rebounds and two blocks.
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