Mohegan — Connecticut has developed a lengthy list of weaknesses during a three-plus year trudge through WNBA hell, most notably its inability to rebound.

Atlanta post Sancho Lyttle, then, is to the Sun what dropping a hungry badger would be to hamsters in a cage — she’s going to tear them up.

So while longtime Connecticut tormenter Angel McCoughtry elicited the most groans from 5,857 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena during Atlanta’s 67-63 win over the Sun, it was Lyttle who was every hit as harmful to the Sun.

She scored seven of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, and was also the biggest reason why the Dream (11-9) whacked the Sun on the boards. She tied her career high with 14 rebounds, seven offensive.

“She’s all over the boards and really tough to box out,” Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas said of the 6-foot-4 — and athletic — Lyttle.

Atlanta outrebounded the Sun, 51-36. That wasn’t even the worst part. The Dream had a ridiculous 21-2 advantage in second-chance points, with Lyttle responsible for eight.

Former Sun center Elizabeth Williams (10 points) had seven rebounds, including three offensive, for the Dream. McCoughtry had six rebounds in addition to scoring 20 of her 26 points in the first half.

“They all just go really hard,” Thomas said of Atlanta’s rebounding prowess. “If you don’t get a body on all of them, then one of them gets a hand on the ball, and then it translates into something else.”

The Sun outshot Atlanta, but were outdone on 3-pointers and at the free throw line.

The Dream made 17 of their 21 free throws. Connecticut made 8-of-10. The Sun also missed 18 of 19 3-pointers.

Not good.

“We’re disappointed,” Connecticut coach Curt Miller said. “We think we left one out there that we had a chance to pull off.

“Our game plan going in, they’re so talented in transition that you have to get back, first and foremost. You have to play in the quarter court. And when you get them in the quarter court and make them run their half-court offense, the keys are one-and-done, and you have to rebound with this team to take away second chance points, and you have to keep them off the foul line. Between second chance points and the foul line, they were plus-28 (points) on us.”

Thomas had 19 points, four rebounds and three steals for the Sun (5-14). Chiney Ogwumike added 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Atlanta led by as much as 15 points (41-26) with one minutes, 58 seconds left in the first half.

Connecticut outscored the Dream in the second half. Ogwumike’s layup gave the Sun a 61-60 lead with 4:06 remaining in the game.

Lyttle grabbed an offensive rebound off Tiffany Hayes’ miss and was fouled with 2:49 left. She made the second of two free throws to tie the game at 61.

McCoughtry turned her steal into a 3-pointer to push Atlanta back ahead, 64-61.

The Dream led 64-63 when Williams missed a layup. Atlanta point guard Layshia Clarendon got the offensive rebound.

Hayes missed a jumper seconds later. No problem. Lyttle got the rebound and put-back to extend the Dream’s lead to 66-63 with 20.7 seconds to play.

“We talked with three minutes left in the game that the team that was going to rebound better at that end of the floor was going to win the game,” Miller said. “And after I said that, they got three or four really important and big offensive rebounds.

“They out-rebounded us down the stretch at that end of the floor to really put them in position to pull off the win.”

n.griffen@theday.com