UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Sun fans, many decked in the orange shirts they have been wearing for years, turned out one last time as the franchise played its final game before moving to Houston, a 95-81 win over the Toronto Tempo on Thursday night.
Longtime season ticket holders were among those honored as the Sun said goodbye to Mohegan Sun Arena.
When the Sun moved from Orlando to Connecticut after the 2002 season, former UConn stars Nykesha Sales and Rebecca Lobo were the faces of the franchise. Sales, recently hired as an assistant coach at UConn, was among those recognized Thursday.
Another UConn product, Aaliyah Edwards, had 14 first-half points to help the Sun to a 38-36 lead at the break. The Sun took control in the third quarter, much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 8,911, and went on to snap a six-game skid.
Blaze, the Sun mascot, delighted the crowd by banking in a half-court shot shortly before the players came onto the court. The game ended with the five Sun players on the court embracing, and the rest of the team walked onto the court and raised their arms. Former UConn star and team president Jen Rizzotti grabbed a microphone and thanked the crowd.
“You guys have been our family for 24 years,” Rizzotti said. “I know how hard it is. You have proved that Connecticut deserves a WNBA team.”
Ashlon Jackson led Connecticut with 18 points, Raegan Beers had 17 points and Edwards finished with 16. Kiki Rice led Toronto with 28 points.
“The legacy is that we had a positive impact on a lot of people,” said Sun general manager Morgan Tuck, a former UConn and Sun player. “It might be an end here but it is not an end to our team. It is not an end to our players and what they are trying to do on the court. I think you just try to work on both at the same time. You try to be appreciative of what we have here.”
Connecticut reached the WNBA Finals in its second season, falling to Seattle in a winner-take-all Game 3 in 2004. The Sun also came up short in the 2005 and 2022 Finals.
Connecticut lost the first home game in franchise history to Los Angeles 82-73 on May 24, 2003. The franchise’s first win came against the Houston Comets six days later. Mohegan Sun Arena hosted the WNBA All-Star Game four times from 2005 to 2015 and regularly hosted preseason tournaments.
The Sun will be renamed the Comets starting next season.
This has been a difficult final season for the Sun. Five of the 10 players who played Thursday were rookies. Connecticut and Toronto each finished with 11-33 records and await the WNBA Draft lottery.
Sun coach Rachid Meziane’s message to her team was that the time to say goodbye was after the game.
“People will never forget this franchise, never forget the name on the jersey,” she said.
