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Tyasha Harris' 20 points led five players in double figures Sunday as the Connecticut Sun rallied in the second half to force a decisive fifth game in their WNBA semifinal series with the Minnesota Lynx, earning a 92-82 win in Uncasville, Conn.
The winner of Tuesday night's contest in Minneapolis will advance to the WNBA Finals against top-seeded New York. The Liberty closed out two-time champion Las Vegas 76-62 to win their best-of-five series 3-1 earlier in the day.
Connecticut tied this series at 2-2 by shutting down Minnesota's potent offense in the second half. The Lynx missed their first 10 3-point attempts after hitting nine in the first half. And the Sun controlled the lane, earning a 50-30 advantage in paint points.
DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas each added 18 points for Connecticut, with Thomas chipping in 11 assists and eight rebounds. DiJonai Carrington scored 15 points and Marina Mabrey came off the bench to tally 10.
Napheesa Collier put up game highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota, while Natisha Hiedeman came off the bench to add 16 points. Courtney Williams contributed 11.
Connecticut outscored the Lynx 24-19 in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 15 points down the stretch. It hit 53.7 percent of its field goal attempts.
Looking to close out the series, Minnesota got off to a good start behind Collier. She scored nine points in a span of about 4 1/2 minutes as the Lynx established a 22-12 lead before settling for a 22-15 advantage after one quarter.
Minnesota kept converting in the second quarter, restoring 10-point margins on three different occasions. When Connecticut got within four points, Hiedeman quieted the crowd by swishing a running 30-footer from the left wing as time expired for a 50-43 halftime cushion.
The Sun made their move in the third quarter. They took the lead for good with 2:40 left when Bonner turned Carrington's pass into an alley-oop layup, and Thomas drove for a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining for a 68-63 lead going to the fourth period.
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WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Red Sox-Blue Jays Wild Trade Buzz Picking Up Steam
The Boston Red Sox have plenty of firepower at their disposal that would interest opposing teams ahead of the trade deadline. Despite this, it recently was reported that the Red Sox are expected to keep their outfield intact for now, at least. While this is the case, FOX Sports made an unlikely suggestion that the American League East rival Toronto Blue Jays would be a solid landing spot for Jarren Duran. "The Blue Jays, who lead the Yankees by three games in the AL East, should operate like a legit contender. Acquiring Duran would fortify that status," FOX Sports said. "Last offseason, Toronto made a presumably cost-effective and high-impact move by signing former Baltimore Orioles outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander — who blasted 44 home runs in 2024 — to a five-year, $92.5 million deal. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Santander hasn't played since May 29 due to a shoulder injury and boasted a .179/.273/.304 slash line before going down. "Furthermore, center fielder Daulton Varsho has missed the last two months due to a hamstring injury and struggled to get on base beforehand. Acquiring Duran could help Toronto replenish some of the production that both Santander and Varsho's absences have vacated. Duran would provide slug and somebody who files around the basepaths to a plausible offense but one that could use more slug; while Toronto entered Wednesday second in MLB with a .332 on-base percentage, it was also 12th with a .407 slugging percentage. At full force, Duran, Varsho, George Springer, Davis Schneider and Santander — who was the team's designated hitter before going down — would make for an outfield depth chart of multiple players who are adept at playing multiple spots." Maybe this is true, but Duran is under team control for a few years. Why trade a fan-favorite within the division? This can be ruled extremely unlikely.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb sends strong message after tempers flare at training camp
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
Florida Trending for Prospect Tabbed Next Freshman Phenom
The Florida Gators are in the hunt for a very intriguing college football prospect from the 2028 class. Social media blew up last weekend after a crazy one-handed catch was made at the NFL Flag Championships by receiver Brysen Wright. The original video of Wright's snag has over 7 million views and caught the eye of NFL talent like Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams, and others. On3's Adam Gorney caught up with Wright to discuss recruiting and which schools are currently in the lead. Wright revealed he has heard from the Gators, Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes. “The only (main) schools I’m hearing from now really are Ohio State, Florida and Miami,” Gorney compared Wright to sophomore Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith burst onto the scene last season, leading the Buckeyes with 1,315 receiving yards as a true freshman. Smith was a former five-star prospect and the top receiver in the 2024 class. Wright is rated as a four-star on Rivals, and On3's Hayes Fawcett believes the recruit will be one of the prospects in the class. Wright is familiar with Florida, as the Gators had him in town for an unofficial visit in November of last year. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has tabbed Florida as the favorite and gives it a 21.9% chance to land him. Ohio State has a 13.7% chance, while Miami has a 1.2% chance. While Wright's decision may not be imminent, Florida is trending upward as a program. The Gators just secured the first winning season of head coach Billy Napier's tenure, and people are paying close attention to Florida. Greg McElroy even said that Florida could be a problem with a consistent running game. If Wright pans out as people expect, it would be a massive addition to Florida.
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