UNCASVILLE, Conn. —Natisha Hiedeman faked out her defender with a dribble and stepped into a 3-pointer, draining the shot from the top of the key.
The Minnesota Lynx had just trimmed the Connecticut Sun’s lead to single digits toward the start of the third quarter, but Hiedeman responded right back to ignite a run for her team.
Hiedeman went on to score three consecutive 3-pointers later in the period, providing a key spark for the Sun en route to a 90-83 victory over the Lynx in the last game of the regular season Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“She’s knockdown when she’s open,” Brionna Jones said of Hiedeman. “That’s what we want. I think when teams make runs, we need to be able to make answers. And I think today it was [Natisha] and every game it’s somebody different. So I think just having that ability to answer the other teams’ runs is gonna be good for us for the playoffs.”
Alyssa Thomas finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead the Sun (25-11). Hiedeman had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jones ended the afternoon with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. Jonquel Jones had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said before the game that there was “no playbook for today.” The Sun entered the matchup already knowing what fate awaited them in the WNBA playoffs, set to face the sixth-seeded Dallas Wings as the three seed. The Lynx (14-22), on the other hand, were in a must-win situation to have a shot at making the playoffs.
Those chances were eliminated with the loss, making Sunday the last game for retiring WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles. The Sun honored league’s all-time rebounding leader with a special pregame presentation, gifting her slippers, a custom robe, pajamas and a charity donation, along with a special gourd filled with symbolic artifacts from the Mohegan Tribe.
Fowles finished the afternoon with 10 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. She grabbed her 4,000th career rebound during the game, going out on top as the only player to do so in league history.
“What an unbelievable career,” Miller said of Fowles. “A true giant in our game, just one of the elite post players that’s ever played the game of women’s basketball. And again, has not received probably as much notoriety as she should for someone that has been so dominant and so consistent throughout her career. It’s a pleasure to compete against her and obviously goes out as still one of the most efficient and productive players in our league.”
Former UConn stars Napheesa Collier and Moriah Jefferson both started for Minnesota. Collier, in her fourth game back since giving birth, finished with six points, two rebounds and one assist.
The Sun were in control of Sunday’s game from the opening quarter. With a little over two minutes left in the period, DiJonai Carrington read Minnesota’s offense and swept in to steal a pass from Lynx guard Kayla McBride. She then coasted to the other end of the court and scored a layup with ease to extend Connecticut’s lead to double digits.
A few plays later, Thomas swiped the ball away from Lynx guard Rachel Banham and scored a layup on the end — her second steal-and-score of the game. The Sun led 28-14 at the end of the first quarter behind their aggressive defense. They scored 10 points off five Lynx turnovers in the opening frame.
Miller had already played every player on his team by the end of that first period, allowing starters to get key rest ahead of the playoffs.
Connecticut continued to control the game in the second quarter and led 45-34 at halftime. The Sun outscored the Lynx 30-12 in the paint in the first half. They also shot 51.4% from the field while holding their opponent to 37.8%.
The Lynx trimmed the lead to single digits at the start of the third quarter behind a 3-pointer from Lindsay Allen, but Hiedeman and the Sun responded right back. Hiedeman scored 12 points on four 3-pointers in the third quarter alone, at the end of which Connecticut led 71-54.
“Everybody was setting good screens, getting me open,” Hiedeman said. “And they always just tell me to shoot when I’m open, so I was just letting it fly.”
It seemed as though the Sun would coast to victory from there, but with its season on the line, Minnesota wasn’t giving up easily. The Lynx made it a 80-74 game with 3:43 left in the fourth, prompting Miller to sub his starters back in.
“The starters asked to be put back in,” Miller said. “I wasn’t going to put them back in, I was going to roll the dice. If we won, we won. We lost, we lost. But the starters asked to be put back in tonight. They wanted to win and our crowd on a crowd appreciation night deserved us to go out winning here.”
Aerial Powers trimmed Minnesota’s deficit to four points shortly after, but Thomas and Courtney Williams scored back-to-back buckets to ensure it didn’t get any closer.
Things got heated down the stretch as Powers and the Sun’s DeWanna Bonner were both given technicals, but the afternoon would end with the crowd and players giving a standing ovation to Fowles as she walked off the court one last time.
The Sun will face the Wings on Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena to kick off the WNBA Playoffs. The contest will air on ESPNU/NBATV at 8 p.m. ET.
“We have really good momentum going into the playoffs,” Hiedeman said. “The energy is great, the confidence with everybody is amazing, and that’s what you need come playoff time.”
