It appears the Connecticut Sun just can’t catch a break to start the season.
Holding the last slot in the league standings, Connecticut fell to the Portland Fire on Monday night, 83-82, in a back-and-forth match that became their fifth-straight loss of the season.
Head coach Rachid Meziane explained in Monday night’s postgame press conference how, though the team started well in the first quarter, a momentum shift occurred the latter half of the period when they were unable to break free against Portland’s
fullcourt defense and overall hustle.
“We just started to give them easy baskets, some layups from our turnovers. And we lost our dynamic. We lost our confidence,” Meziane said.
Though the team’s five-game losing streak matches their start from last season, they’re experiencing a different set of challenges that play a part in their lack of wins, as well as their overall inability to gel as a team.
Connecticut’s first matchup was against the New York Liberty. After a hosting the Seattle Storm, they then faced the defending champ Las Vegas Aces in back-to-back set. They’re also missing a few key players, like Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who has played in just three games due to a right ankle injury, and Leïla Lacan, who is still competing for Basket Landes overseas.
Aaliyah Edwards’ return after injury–which sidelined her for the first three games of the season–is a boost, but she’ll still be expected to manage her minutes while on the floor to avoid further strain.
Overall, the team hasn’t yet fully settled into the unit they can become with all their pieces playing up to their potential. Combined with the franchise’s now-official relocation to Houston next year, the uncertainty surrounding the roster could add pressure on players to perform—or try to overperform—this season.
Despite the loss, there were positive takeaways from Monday’s game. Brittney Griner led the team with 16 points, and Hailey Van Lith, who’s showing signs of getting into the flow with the Sun’s system, joined Aaliyah Edwards and Aneesah Morrow with 12 points each.
Here’s what Van Lith said about the game:
We got great shots. And I have full confidence that we’ll make all of those [shots] next time. We’re great offensive players, so I think we need to clean up the efficiency with which we get to them. We’re a little bit messy in the execution right now, but I am happy with the looks that we got in the last minute and a half.
Van Lith also remarked on Monday’s post-game presser that she believed the team performed too relaxed and didn’t match Portland’s intensity, explaining:
It sucks to lose this game, because we would’ve won it if we had stayed within ourselves and executed, so it’s disappointing. But I do think there’s an underlying silver lining where we’ve made improvements at different things every game. But at the end of the day, we have to cross the finish line and get a win.
The Sun will face the Seattle Storm for a back-to-back matchup this week, first on Wednesday and then on Friday.
The set in Seattle is an opportunity to secure that first win to change the season’s momentum. Keeping each other accountable and building off each game will be key to moving past this rut and into the win column.
