Bonner, Thomas lead Sun to rout of Lynx in WNBA playoff opener
DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun opened the WNBA playoffs with a 90-60 rout of the visiting Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be in Connecticut on Sunday.
Alyssa Thomas added 15 points and 10 assists for the Sun, who earned the No. 3 seed after going 27-13 in the regular season. Rebecca Allen also scored 15 points on five three-pointers and Tiffany Hayes had 14 points and four three-pointers.
The Sun made 16 of their 30 shots from behind the arc and held Minnesota to 35 per cent shooting overall. Connecticut scored 30 points off 19 Lynx turnovers.
WATCH | Sun dominate Lynx in Game 1:
Connecticut led by 14 at halftime and took their first 20-point lead in the third quarter at 56-36 on a layup by Thomas. The Sun closed the game on a 17-3 run.
Bridget Carleton of Chatham, Ont., had six points, four rebounds and an assist for the Lynx.
McBride scored 14 of her points in the first half and the Lynx used a 16-6 second-quarter run to take a 22-20 lead. But the Sun turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 21-3 run to take a 43-27 lead and control of the game.