Sun win, extend Storm's misery at home

DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, Alyssa Thomas posted another double-double and the visiting Connecticut Sun used a big second quarter to beat the Seattle Storm 81-69 on Tuesday, sending the Storm to their sixth straight home loss.

Thomas racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals for the Sun (21-7), who outscored Seattle 29-14 in the second quarter behind 14 points from Bonner, including her 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that made it 50-34.

Bonner finished 4-for-6 from beyond the arc to lead Connecticut, which also got 13 points from Rebecca Allen, 10 from Tiffany Hayes and nine from DiJonai Carrington off the bench.

The Sun canned an efficient 7 of 15 shots from distance and converted 17 Storm turnovers into 23 points while allowing just 13 Seattle points off 12 miscues.

Sami Whitcomb churned out 11 points for the Storm (7-21), as did Jewell Loyd, who entered Tuesday's contest averaging a WNBA-best 24.9 points per game. Ezi Magbegor scored 10 to round out the Seattle's double-digit scorers. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu logged eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

Gabby Williams scored all seven of her points in the first half before leaving the game after suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter.

The Storm shot 41.4 percent from the floor, including a dismal 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) on 3-pointers, and trailed by as many as 24 points.

Seattle is a WNBA-worst 2-13 at home and has not won at home since its 97-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on June 24.

The Storm spread the ball around to begin the game, getting baskets from four different scorers to build a 16-9 lead. Seattle led for the entire first quarter until Hayes' layup with three seconds left pushed the Sun ahead 21-20.

Hayes' basket came during the first of two separate 11-0 Connecticut runs in the first half, the latter of which stretched the Sun's lead to 38-26 before Bonner made a 3-pointer to push it to 41-28 with 2:34 left in the half.

Seattle scored its first 12 baskets via assists but committed 12 first-half turnovers that Connecticut flipped into 19 points entering halftime.