uncasville, connecticut. Typically, Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White begins her opening statement at the podium by repeating the words “I'm proud of our group” several times.
But after the Sun lost 90-81 to the Minnesota Lynx, White went in a different direction.
「それは私たちにとって厳しいものでした」とホワイトは語った。 “They had to do pretty much whatever they wanted on the offensive side of the floor. I feel like I didn't do a good enough job as a coach in preparing for today's game. It was executed, and I was guided. ”
In Game 3, the Lynx shot 57.4% from the field, setting the record for the highest field goal percentage allowed by the Suns in postseason history. Napheesa Collier, who averaged just 14 points in the first two games of the series, scored 26 points on 11-for-26 shooting.
“Nobody was more frustrated than Fee over the last few games,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “She thought it was wonderful in all aspects of the game.”
And while Collier's 26 points wasn't an anomaly, she had 38 and 42 points in the first round, but White and the Sun didn't feel they got the best out of Collier.
「MVP級の選手について話しているとき、彼らを止めるつもりはない」とホワイトは語った。 “You're just trying to make it difficult. Did you make it as difficult as possible? No.”
White also pointed out that they did not take other teams. Courtney Williams had 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, Kayla McBride had 13 points and Bridget Carleton added two points. As a result, the Lynx exploded for 90 points, outscoring them by more than 16 points. He allowed an average of 73.6 points per season.
“We can't let everyone else quit. We have to contain everyone else,” White said. “We can't afford to have four players in double digits. When that happens, they're too dangerous a team. So we have to do a better job collectively to not make things difficult.” We have to do a better job with everyone else.”
At the podium, Alyssa Thomas expressed her disappointment with the team's effort and the apparent transition from team basketball.
“I think we had to understand that we didn't get this far on our own. We've come this far as a team, moving the ball and differentiating people,” Thomas said. “At this point, yeah, you want it, but we can't get through the hump without taking advantage of each other. This was a poor representation of the essence of Connecticut basketball. ”
“I think we had to understand that we didn't get this far by ourselves. We came this far as a team, moving the ball and pulling people apart.”
— Noah Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) October 5, 2024
For the Sun, Breonna Jones scored 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and Dewana Bonner added 16 points on 4-9 shooting.トーマスは13得点、9リバウンド、7アシストを記録した。
However, the starting backcoat struggled on the attack. Marina Mabry scored 14 points but shot just 1-11 from 3, while Dijonai Carrington had 13 points on 6-15 shooting.
Still, what let them down was more than anything else Connecticut's signature defense.
“It's unacceptable that we had an aggressive defensive plan and only had three steals,” Thomas said. “We had to go back to square one and play against people who are coming out and ready to fight.”
サンはリンクスを2-1で追い上げて第4戦に臨む。 If you lose, you will decide to advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive year, and if you win, you will return to Minneapolis with the same point.
“The big players appear when they turn their backs on the wall,” said Thomas. “Many of us have been in this position before and have come out of it.”
But they are still alive. Las Vegas's ace was also frustrated in the second round, but he responded: To survive in the third game.
“If we want to continue the season, if we want to get to the finals, we have to give it our all,” Thomas said matter-of-factly. “That’s what the playoffs are all about.”
