Mohegan — There’s a lot of things about Italy that can boost one’s spirits. Its natural beauty. Its wineries. Its history. Its food.

Italia did wonders for Kayla Pedersen while spending the WNBA offseason playing in Lucca.

Should one not know their geography, Lucca is located within the Tuscany region.

Yeah, there are worse places for a player to work during their WNBA offseason, like, nearly everywhere else.

“Beautiful area, Tuscany,” Pedersen laughed. “I was shooting the ball a lot over there. They valued defense; they valued aggressive defense, so it just kind of got me rolling, and I think I’ve carried that over into this season.”

Pedersen’s confidence and play have improved in her third season with Connecticut. She and her fellow reserves are crucial for the Sun as they begin the post-WNBA All-Star break at home Tuesday night at 7 against the Indiana Fever (no TV).

Every game in the Eastern Conference is big, especially when just 3½ games separate the first-place New York Liberty (12-5) from the fifth-place Fever (8-8). Connecticut (8-7) is in fourth.

“We’ve been saying all along, back from the beginning, that we need more production from the bench,” Sun coach Anne Donovan said.

A lot was expected from Pedersen when she came into the league. The 6-foot-4 forward ended her Stanford career as the school’s and Pac-10’s all-time rebounding leader (1,266). She was also Stanford’s career leader in games played and started (150).

The Tulsa Shock selected Pedersen seventh overall in the 2011 draft, and her basketball life slowly went downhill from there.

Pedersen began her rookie year as a starter before being moved into a reserve role. Tulsa also set new standards for putrid that year as it went through two coaches and set league records for the longest losing streak (20), most losses in a season (31), worst winning percentage (.088), and tied the 1998 Washington Mystics for fewest wins in a season (3).

The Shock traded Pedersen to the Sun for a second-round pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft on June 20, 2013.

“It’s been a rough journey,” Pedersen said. “I was a starter. I had a lot of minutes. I was scoring. We had some coaching changes (three coaches in three seasons). I had some staph infections, things like that that had put me out a little bit.

“It was rough, but it prepared me. … It taught me to be steady and consistent and just mentally be a lot stronger. You feel like you can handle anything. When you’re traded after a game and have to leave (early) the next morning, it shows you kind of who you really are. I was proud of how I handled that. I think I’ve grown every year; become an adult.”

Pedersen’s role with the Sun increased this season due to unfortunate circumstances when teammate and friend Kelsey Griffin needed arthroscopic surgery on her left hip before the season and was waived.

“I’ve always had confidence in my defense,” Pedersen said. “I know that I’m a good defensive player and at getting the rebound. Now that I’m more involved, I feel more confident.”

Donovan said, “(Griffin’s injury) gave her an opportunity to do what she does best, which is all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. What you’re noticing, we’re noticing, and her teammates have noticed is that she’s playing with confidence. She’s taking shots without thinking about it. It’s got her in a good place right now.”

n.griffen@theday.com

Twitter: @MetalNED