2019 Connecticut Sun season

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
Coach	Curt Miller
Arena	Mohegan Sun Arena
Attendance	6,841 per game
Results
Record	23–11 (.676)
Place	2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	2nd seed; lost in WNBA Finals to Washington Mystics 2-3
Team Leaders
Points	Jonquel Jones – 14.6 ppg
Rebounds	Jonquel Jones – 9.7 rpg
Assists	Jasmine Thomas – 5.1 apg
Media
Television	NESN
← 2018 season 2020 season →

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

See also: 2019 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
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G 1 Banham, Rachel 5' 9" (1.75m) 168 lb (76kg) 1993-07-15 Minnesota 3 G 23 Clarendon, Layshia 5' 9" (1.75m) 158 lb (72kg) 1991-05-02 California 6 G 2 Hiedeman, Natisha 5' 7" (1.7m) 125 lb (57kg) 1997-02-10 Marquette R G 32 Holmes, Bria 6' 1" (1.85m) 170 lb (77kg) 1994-04-19 West Virginia 2 F/C 35 Jones, Jonquel 6' 6" (1.98m) 190 lb (86kg) 1994-01-05 George Washington 3 F 42 Jones, Brionna 6' 3" (1.91m) 230 lb (104kg) 1995-12-18 Maryland 2 F/C 55 Plaisance, Theresa 6' 5" (1.96m) 200 lb (91kg) 1992-05-18 LSU 5 G/F 40 Stricklen, Shekinna 6' 2" (1.88m) 178 lb (81kg) 1990-07-30 Tennessee 7 F 25 Thomas, Alyssa 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 1992-04-12 Maryland 5 G 5 Thomas, Jasmine 5' 9" (1.75m) 145 lb (66kg) 1989-09-30 Duke 8 F 33 Tuck, Morgan 6' 2" (1.88m) 200 lb (91kg) 1994-04-30 Connecticut 3 G 10 Williams, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m) 136 lb (62kg) 1994-05-11 South Florida 3	Head coach Curt Miller (Baldwin Wallace) Assistant coaches Brandi Poole Chris Koclanes Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Game log

Preseason

2019 pre-season game log
May: 2–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 13 New York Liberty W 100–66 J. Jones (19) J. Thomas (7) Williams (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 3,806 1–0 2 May 14 Dallas Wings L 67–71 Holmes (14) J. Jones (14) Stricklen (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 3,965 1–1 3 May 19 vs. New York Liberty W 98–79 J. Jones (21) Williams (5) Williams (5) Times Union Center 2–1
2019 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2019 game log Total: 23–11 (Home: 15–2; Road: 8–9)
May: 2–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 25 Washington Mystics W 84–69 A. Thomas (23) J. Jones (14) J. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,913 1–0 2 May 28 Indiana Fever W 88–77 J. Jones (25) A. Thomas (10) J. Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 4,781 2–0 3 May 31 @ Los Angeles Sparks L 70–77 J. Jones (16) J. Jones (22) Clarendon (3) Staples Center 12,334 2–1
June : 7–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 4 June 2 @ Las Vegas Aces W 80–74 Williams (19) J. Jones (13) Tied (5) Mandalay Bay Events Center 2,747 3–1 5 June 6 Los Angeles Sparks W 89–77 J. Jones (18) A. Thomas (12) A. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 5,496 4–1 6 June 9 @ Atlanta Dream W 65–59 J. Jones (17) J. Jones (13) J. Thomas (6) State Farm Arena 3,082 5–1 7 June 11 Washington Mystics W 83–75 J. Jones (24) A. Thomas (12) J. Thomas (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 5,224 6–1 8 June 14 @ Minnesota Lynx W 85–81 3 tied (16) J. Jones (12) Williams (6) Target Center 8,803 7–1 9 June 16 Seattle Storm W 81–67 A. Thomas (20) J. Jones (11) J. Jones (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,773 8–1 10 June 21 Atlanta Dream W 86–76 Stricklen (24) J. Jones (8) J. Thomas (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,608 9–1 11 June 23 @ Chicago Sky L 75–93 A. Thomas (13) J. Jones (10) J. Thomas (7) Wintrust Arena 5,607 9–2 12 June 26 @ Dallas Wings L 73–74 A. Thomas (28) Williams (7) J. Thomas (11) College Park Center 4,017 9–3 13 June 29 @ Washington Mystics L 59–102 J. Jones (15) J. Jones (7) J. Thomas (5) St. Elizabeth's East Arena 4,200 9–4
July : 5–2 (Home: 4–1; Road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 14 July 6 Minnesota Lynx L 71–74 J. Thomas (16) Tied (9) J. Thomas (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,076 9–5 15 July 10 @ Atlanta Dream L 75–78 Williams (13) Tied (9) 6 tied (2) State Farm Arena 3,866 9–6 16 July 12 Phoenix Mercury W 79–64 A. Thomas (20) J. Jones (11) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,864 10–6 17 July 14 @ Indiana Fever W 76–63 J. Jones (26) J. Jones (8) J. Thomas (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 6,434 11–6 18 July 19 Atlanta Dream W 98–69 Holmes (17) J. Jones (9) Williams (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,733 12–6 19 July 24 New York Liberty W 70–63 J. Thomas (18) A. Thomas (12) J. Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,249 13–6 20 July 30 Chicago Sky W 100–94 J. Jones (27) J. Jones (11) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,358 14–6
August : 8–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 21 August 1 Phoenix Mercury W 68–62 J. Jones (15) J. Jones (14) Williams (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,014 15–6 22 August 4 @ New York Liberty W 94–79 Williams (28) J. Jones (10) Williams (6) Westchester County Center 1,927 16–6 23 August 9 @ Minnesota Lynx L 57–89 Holmes (10) A. Thomas (7) 3 tied (2) Target Center 8,892 16–7 24 August 11 @ Las Vegas Aces L 81–89 Williams (13) J. Jones (12) Tied (4) Mandalay Bay Events Center 4,633 16–8 25 August 14 @ Phoenix Mercury W 78–71 J. Thomas (18) J. Jones (14) Tied (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 8,734 17–8 26 August 16 Seattle Storm W 79–78 Stricklen (24) A. Thomas (11) J. Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,092 18–8 27 August 18 Dallas Wings W 78–68 Williams (18) J. Jones (10) J. Thomas (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,275 19–8 28 August 23 Las Vegas Aces W 89–85 A. Thomas (27) A. Thomas (12) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,483 20–8 29 August 25 @ Los Angeles Sparks L 72–84 Williams (18) J. Jones (12) Tied (5) Staples Center 17,076 20–9 30 August 27 @ Seattle Storm W 89–70 A. Thomas (22) A. Thomas (11) Tied (4) Alaska Airlines Arena 6,258 21–9 31 August 30 @ New York Liberty W 94–84 Williams (26) A. Thomas (9) J. Thomas (7) Westchester County Center 1,791 22–9
September : 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 32 September 4 Dallas Wings W 102–72 J. Jones (22) Williams (8) Hiedeman (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,284 23-9 33 September 6 Chicago Sky L 104–109 Williams (25) Tied (9) Williams (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,077 23–10 34 September 8 @ Indiana Fever L 76–104 B. Jones (14) B. Jones (10) Williams (4) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 5,451 23–11
2019 season schedule

Playoffs

2019 playoff game log Total: 5–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–2)
Semifinals: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 17 Los Angeles Sparks W 84–75 A. Thomas (22) A. Thomas (10) J. Thomas (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,102 1–0 2 September 19 Los Angeles Sparks W 94–68 J. Jones (27) Tied (13) J. Thomas (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,051 2–0 3 September 22 @ Los Angeles Sparks W 78–56 J. Thomas (29) Williams (13) A. Thomas (6) Walter Pyramid 4,000 3–0
WNBA Finals: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 29 @ Washington Mystics L 86–95 Williams (26) Tied (6) A. Thomas (6) St. Elizabeth's East Arena 4,200 0–1 2 October 1 @ Washington Mystics W 99–87 J. Jones (32) J. Jones (18) Tied (6) St. Elizabeth's East Arena 4,200 1–1 3 October 6 Washington Mystics L 81–94 Tied (16) J. Jones (9) A. Thomas (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 9,170 1–2 4 October 8 Washington Mystics W 90–86 J. Jones (18) J. Jones (13) A. Thomas (11) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,458 2–2 5 October 10 @ Washington Mystics L 78–89 J. Jones (25) A. Thomas (12) Tied (6) St. Elizabeth's East Arena 4,200 2–3
2019 playoff schedule

Standings

#	Eastern Conference v t e	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

Main article: 2019 WNBA 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]