SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Two surprises in the Women’s National Basketball Association semifinals Sunday as the Seattle Storm hit the road to regular-season champion Las Vegas Aces and turned in a 76-73 win, and in the other semis, it was the Connecticut Sun at the second place Chicago Sky and it, too, prevailed 68-63.
The teams resume on Wednesday as once again Las Vegas and Chicago play host.
For Seattle, it was Associated Press WNBA Most Valuable Player Brianna Stewart and two other University of Connecticut players, Tina Charles and retiring Sue Bird teaming with former Notre Dame star Jewell Lloyd to claim the road win in the best-of-five series.
All three UConn players and Lloyd were college All-Americas and they relied on their skills to earn this win. Steward had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists for the fourth-seeded Storm, Charles added 13 points and the game-high 18 rebounds, and Bird, in her final year in the WNBA, dished out a dozen assists.
But Lloyd also had a big part that included Seattle’s final six points and had the game-high 26 points while converting a go-ahead free throw with 34 seconds remaining and contributed 10 of the Storm’s last 16 points.
The top-seeded Aces, coached by WNBC Coach of the Year Becky Hammond, picked up 21 points from Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum added 20 but missed a tying 3-point attempt with 2.9 left. Jackie Young finished with 11 points but Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson was held to just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting.
The Sun was led by De Wanna Bonner’s 15 points and nine boards, Alyssa Thomas added a dozen points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and sharpshooting sisters Jonquel and Brianna Jones were a combined 11 for 16 from the floor.
After Emma Mesemen’s 3-pointer with 2:12 to go brought 2nd-seeded Chicago a 63-62 lead and whipped the Wintrust Arena crowd into a frenzy, the Sky then missed its final four shots.
This brought on Jonquel Jones to tally a basket with 27 seconds remaining to put Seattle ahead, and Bonner made a pair of foul shots with 1:31 left to extend the advantage, then Connecticut took down two offensive rebounds to kill some time off the clock, anjd Bonner this time made a layup with 3.8 left to seal the road win.
