Sun still trying to find the secret of success
Mohegan — The Connecticut Sun’s maturation has come through the prism of crossing the threshold from failure to success, what all building franchises experience. Except that the Sun players discovered another obstacle over the weekend against Washington: Overall success means learning how to deal with it, too.
Hence, their response to a big victory Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena turned out to be a thud. They lost at Verizon Center somewhat convincingly, indicating they didn’t handle success very well.
It was very much a microcosm of the season: Their response to a 7-1 start has been a 4-9 record.
“With every win, people pay closer attention,” Sun coach Anne Donovan said Tuesday, after preparing her team for Wednesday night's game with Tulsa (7 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena). “Not just coaches and scouts, but the players reading scouting reports. Plus, the power of motivation. After we beat Washington, they had a lot of it coming back. I don’t think we handled it the way we needed to.”
The Sun (11-10) are still very close to a playoff spot. Every game bears significant postseason implications. And Wednesday, the Sun see an unfamiliar team that’s lost nine straight.
But is dangerous, Donovan said.
“Tulsa is a good team. Hungry. Desperate for a win,” she said. “Much better than their record indicates. They lost Skylar (Diggins, knee injury) but still have a lot of talent. We have our hands full.”
Tulsa, like Connecticut, began the season in first place. The Shock, moving to Dallas next year, don’t have Diggins or Glory Johnson (pregnancy). But they do have Odyssey Sims, all-star Plenette Pierson, all-star Riquna Williams, the No. 2 pick in the most recent draft (Amanda Zahui B) and Courtney Paris, among others.
They’re the league’s top offensive rebounding team as well, a fact of which Donovan and her staff reminded the players several times Tuesday.
“We’re fighting for our lives,” Donovan said.
Rookie Elizabeth Williams sat out Tuesday’s workout with a knee issue. Donovan said she’s hopeful Williams will play tonight.
m.dimauro@theday.com
Twitter: @BCgenius
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