The Connecticut Sun certainly weren't pleased with their turnovers during Friday night's 80-76 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Connecticut turned it over 23 times for 27 points.

"Ultimately, it's the story," Sun head coach Curt Miller said.

The Sun shot 49.2-percent and led by as much as 45-34 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.

“When you shoot 50-percent and you turn it over 23 times," Miller said, "if you get (the turnovers) down to your average of 13 or 14, that’s 10 possessions that typically we would have on a given night. ... If you just take 10 more possessions on shots on goal and you continue to shoot 50-percent, the math adds up pretty quickly to 10 or 12 points that you’ve left out there just because of your turnovers, and you helped supplement their offense.”

Connecticut (6-9) really wasn't pleased with the officiating. It was called for 25 fouls, including being whistled for offensive fouls on three straight possessions with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left in the game.

"Disappointed with the turnovers," Miller said. "Now some are absolutely (from) non-basketball-playing charges with their players stepping-in (the way). ... You know, it's tough (in the) bubble down here for everyone. Obviously, there were three people that were pretty much on the golf course the entire night."

Jasmine Thomas' 3-pointer cut Connecticut's deficit to 77-74 with 2:46 remaining. The three straight offensive fouls followed.

Asked to talk about the final five minutes of the game, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner said, "I don't even know if I want to take you through the last five minutes of that game. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t think there was any possible way we were winning that game if anyone was watching. That's tough to beat. That’s tough to play with three offensive fouls."

Los Angeles (11-3) made 16 of 20 free throws. The Sun made all seven of theirs.

"We turned the ball over, I think, 20-something times," Bonner said. "We were still in it and we got some tough calls down the stretch. That's kind of hard to beat. Tough break."

Former Sun Chelsea Gray added to the Connecticut's angst. She scored a game-high 27, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:01 remaining, to put Los Angeles ahead for good, 72-69.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 17, Candace Parker had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds, and Baylor rookie reserve T'ea Cooper scored 14 with six rebounds for the Sparks (11-3), who have won eight straight and are third in the overall standings.

Alyssa Thomas had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals and Bonner had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for Connecticut.

Jasmine Thomas had 12 points and six assists, but also had a game-high seven turnovers. Brionna Jones added 10 points and three steals for the Sun.

The game was tied at 69 with 5 minutes, 1 second left. It was the game's 11th (and final tie), and there had been 11 lead changes.

Gray changed all that by spotting up from behind the arc — and straight up with the basket — for a 3-pointer.

Jones made two free throws on the other end for the Sun to get them within a point.

Gray came off a screen by Brittney Sykes on the Sparks' next possession and made another three to push Los Angeles ahead, 75-71, with 4:17 remaining.

Connecticut turned it over on its next possession. Parker made a short jumper on the other end for Los Angeles.

"It's too bad," Miller said. "I thought we outplayed them. We didn't get any help with the officiating tonight. None. Zero. And we had too many turnovers. And so (it's) a tough game to let slip. A tough game for that group in the locker room.

"(They) felt good about this opportunity tonight to play against a team that is the hottest team in the league. Unfortunately, we came up short."

Making a statement

The WNBA resumed play with three games on Friday after its players followed the lead of their NBA brethren and decided not to play Wednesday or Thursday to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Sun players, coaches and other staff all kneeled during the National Anthem before the game at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., each one holding up a sign that spelled out a quote from Martin Luther King — "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"(It's) a sad situation," Bonner said. "Just a sad world we live in right now. It was extremely important for Connecticut and the WNBA to take a stand. I couldn’t be more proud of my co-workers."

Connecticut had its game against the Phoenix Mercury postponed on Wednesday because of the protest. The league announced Friday that it would be made up on Monday, Sept. 7.

n.griffen@theday.com