Sun star Alyssa Thomas left Saturday’s game against the host Mystics with a leg injury, but Connecticut still defeated Washington 96-85 in a matchup that saw DeWanna Bonner reach a career scoring milestone.
Thomas, the Olympic gold medalist and MVP runner-up last season, was injured early in the second quarter when setting a screen, as her leg collided with the Mystics’ Karlie Samuelson, who was called for a foul. Thomas was helped off the court and didn’t return, playing a total of just seven minutes.
“She’s sore. We’re going to get her reevaluated to see how she feels for [Sunday, when the Sun host Seattle],” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said.
White added that Thomas “in a pinch” possibly could have returned Saturday.
“But not really something we wanted to chance,” she said. “We want to make sure she’s healthy and ready to go.”
Thomas leads the Sun (23-8) in rebounding (9.0) and assists (7.8) this season. In her absence, several teammates stepped forward, including fellow veteran Bonner, whose 16 points puts her at 7,381 for her career, good for fourth all time in the league.
She passed former Indiana star Tamika Catchings (7,380). Next up on the all-time list is another retired Hall of Famer, Tina Thompson, at 7,488 points. Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi (10,544) and Atlanta’s Tina Charles (7,552) are 1-2 on the career list.
“I feel like every time we have a game, DB is hitting another milestone,” White said. “It’s really incredible. When you think about the greats in this league, her name doesn’t come up nearly as often as it should. Not just in terms of her numbers and her production, but her consistency.”
Bonner, who turned 37 earlier in August, was the No. 5 pick by Phoenix in the 2009 draft out of Auburn. She won WNBA titles with the Mercury in 2009 and ’14, and was the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year her first three seasons in Phoenix before becoming a starter.
She came to Connecticut in 2020, and played in the WNBA Finals in 2022. Bonner is in her 15th season in the WNBA, having missed 2017 on maternity leave, giving birth to twins.
Bonner’s career intersected with that of Catchings, who retired in 2016, including when the Mercury faced Catchings and the Fever in the 2009 WNBA Finals.
“Catch is a great player, a great person, a legend,” Bonner said. “To even be mentioned in the same sentence with her is an honor. I love her dearly.”
Marina Mabrey, who was acquired by the Sun just before the Olympic break in a trade with Chicago, led Connecticut with 21 points Saturday. Mabrey and Bonner said while the Sun missed Thomas on the floor, they feel confident she will return soon.
“She does so much for us on the offensive and defensive ends,” Bonner said. “But we just came together. We knew this was a huge game for us, especially coming off a loss. The standings are everything for us right now.”
