2020 Connecticut Sun season

The 2020 WNBA season was the 22nd season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It will also be the 18th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season tipped off on July 26, 2020, versus the Minnesota Lynx.^[1]

2020 Connecticut Sun season
Coach	Curt Miller
Arena	Originally: Mohegan Sun Arena Rescheduled to: IMG Academy gymnasiums, Bradenton, Florida
Attendance	0 per game
Results
Record	10–12 (.455)
Place	2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	7th Seed, Lost in Semifinals to Las Vegas Aces 2–3
Team Leaders
Points	DeWanna Bonner – 19.7 ppg
Rebounds	Alyssa Thomas – 9.0 rpg
Assists	Alyssa Thomas – 4.8 rpg
← 2019 season 2021 season →

This WNBA season was originally going to feature an all-time high 36 regular-season games.^[2] However, the plan for expanded games was put on hold on April 3, when the WNBA postponed its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league held a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy, without fans present, which started on July 24.^[4][5]

The Sun's season started slowly when the team lost its first five games. They recovered to win four of their next five and were 4–7 at the season's halfway mark. The Sun won six of the next nine to secure a playoff spot with two games to go in the season. The Sun last the final two games of the season to finish 10–12. That earned them the seventh seed in the playoffs.

As the seventh seed, the Sun played in the First Round against the sixth seeded Chicago Sky. The Sun won the game 94–81 and advanced to the Second Round. There they faced off against the third seed Los Angeles Sparks. Again, they triumphed as underdogs, this time 73–59. The win saw them advance to the Semifinals, where they matched up against the first seed Las Vegas Aces. The Sun won games one and three of the best-of-five series, but could not close out games four or five, and lost the series 2–3 to end their season.

WNBA draft

See also: 2020 WNBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
2	23	Kaila Charles	United States	Maryland
3	35	Juicy Landrum	United States	Baylor

Trades/Roster Changes

Date	Details
February 10, 2020	Re-signed F Jonquel Jones^[6]
	Traded F Morgan Tuck and Connecticut's 1st Round Draft Pick for Seattle's 1st Round Draft Pick^[7]
	Re-signed F Natisha Hiedeman^[8]
February 11, 2020	Traded the 7th and the 10th picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and one first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft to Phoenix Mercury for F DeWanna Bonner.^[9]
February 15, 2020	Re-signed G Bria Holmes^[10]
February 19, 2020	Acquired G Briann January and a second round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for Courtney Williams^[11]
February 24, 2020	Acquired F Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in exchange for a second round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft^[12]
February 25, 2020	Acquired the Minnesota Lynx's 2nd round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for G Rachel Banham.^[13]
	Signed G Jazmon Gwathmey to Training Camp Contract^[14]
February 26, 2020	Signed F Valeriane Ayayi to Training Camp Contract^[15]
March 13, 2020	Signed G Jacki Gemelos to Training Camp Contract^[16]
March 14, 2020	Signed F Megan Huff to Training Camp Contract^[17]
June 22, 2020	F Jonquel Jones opts to sit out of the 2020 season.^[18]
June 23, 2020	Signed F Beatrice Mompremier.^[19]
June 25, 2020	Signed G Jacki Gemelos on permanent contract.^[20]

Roster

2020 Connecticut Sun roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G/F 24   Bonner, DeWanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 143 lb (65kg) 1987-08-21 Auburn 10 G 17   Carson, Essence 6' 0" (1.83m) 163 lb (74kg) 1986-07-28 Rutgers 12 G/F 3   Charles, Kaila 6' 1" (1.85m) 167 lb (76kg) 1998-03-23 Maryland R G 2   Hiedeman, Natisha 5' 8" (1.73m) 135 lb (61kg) 1997-02-10 Marquette 1 G 32   Holmes, Bria 6' 1" (1.85m) 170 lb (77kg) 1994-04-19 West Virginia 3 G 20   January, Briann 5' 8" (1.73m) 144 lb (65kg) 1987-01-11 Arizona State 11 F 42   Jones, Brionna 6' 3" (1.91m) 230 lb (104kg) 1995-12-18 Maryland 3 F 35   Jones, Jonquel   6' 6" (1.98m) 190 lb (86kg) 1994-01-05 George Washington 4 F 1   Mompremier, Beatrice 6' 4" (1.93m) 190 lb (86kg) 1996-08-08 Miami (FL) R F 23   Mosqueda-Lewis, Kaleena 5' 11" (1.8m) 180 lb (82kg) 1993-11-03 Connecticut 5 F 55   Plaisance, Theresa 6' 5" (1.96m) 200 lb (91kg) 1992-05-18 LSU 6 F 25   Thomas, Alyssa 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 1992-04-12 Maryland 6 G 5   Thomas, Jasmine 5' 9" (1.75m) 143 lb (65kg) 1989-09-30 Duke 9	Head coach   Curt Miller (Baldwin Wallace) Assistant coaches   Brandi Poole   Chris Koclanes Legend (C) Team captain (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended   Injured

Game log

Regular season

2020 game log Total: 10–12
July Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 July 26 Minnesota Lynx L 69–77 A. Thomas (20) Tied (8) Tied (4) IMG Academy 0 0–1 2 July 28 Washington Mystics 89–94 Bonner (29) A. Thomas (11) Bonner (5) IMG Academy 0 0–2 3 July 30 Los Angeles Sparks L 76–81 Bonner (34) A. Thomas (18) A. Thomas (8) IMG Academy 0 0–3
August Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 4 August 1 Minnesota Lynx L 69–78 Bonner (28) Tied (7) J. Thomas (4) IMG Academy 0 0–4 5 August 4 Seattle Storm L 74–87 Jones (20) A. Thomas (13) Hiedeman (5) IMG Academy 0 0–5 6 August 6 Dallas Wings W 91–68 Jones (17) A. Thomas (10) J. Thomas (9) IMG Academy 0 1–5 7 August 8 Chicago Sky L 93–100 J. Thomas (22) A. Thomas (6) J. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 0 1–6 8 August 10 Atlanta Dream W 93–82 A. Thomas (21) Bonner (9) J. Thomas (7) IMG Academy 0 2–6 9 August 12 Dallas Wings W 70–66 Bonner (18) A. Thomas (7) Tied (4) IMG Academy 0 3–6 10 August 14 Chicago Sky W 77–74 Bonner (19) A. Thomas (10) A. Thomas (8) IMG Academy 0 4–6 11 August 16 Seattle Storm L 72–95 J. Thomas (17) Jones (11) A. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 0 4–7 12 August 18 Indiana Fever W 84–62 Bonner (28) A. Thomas (11) Tied (6) IMG Academy 0 5–7 13 August 20 Las Vegas Aces 78–99 Tied (15) A. Thomas (7) A. Thomas (7) IMG Academy 0 5–8 14 August 22 New York Liberty W 82–65 A. Thomas (25) Bonner (12) Bonner (6) IMG Academy 0 6–8 15 August 28 Los Angeles Sparks W 80–76 A. Thomas (19) A. Thomas (9) J. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 0 6–9 16 August 30 Washington Mystics W 76–63 Bonner (20) Tied (11) A. Thomas (8) IMG Academy 0 7–9
September Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 17 September 1 New York Liberty W 70–65 Bonner (27) Bonner (12) A. Thomas (4) IMG Academy 0 8–9 18 September 3 Las Vegas Aces L 78–93 Bonner (22) Mompremier (16) January (5) IMG Academy 0 8–10 19 September 5 Indiana Fever W 96–77 Bonner (22) 3 tied (6) J. Thomas (7) IMG Academy 0 9–10 20 September 7 Phoenix Mercury W 85–70 Bonner (25) A. Thomas (9) A. Thomas (9) IMG Academy 0 10–10 21 September 9 Phoenix Mercury L 95–100 Bonner (32) A. Thomas (17) A. Thomas (5) IMG Academy 0 10–11 22 September 11 Atlanta Dream L 75–82 Bonner (17) A. Thomas (9) Hiedeman (4) IMG Academy 0 10–12
2020 season schedule

Playoffs

2020 playoff game log Total: 4–3
First Round Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 15 Chicago Sky W 94–81 A. Thomas (28) A. Thomas (13) A. Thomas (8) IMG Academy 1–0
Second Round Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 17 Los Angeles Sparks 73–59 A. Thomas (19) Bonner (13) J. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 1–0
Semifinals Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 20 Las Vegas Aces W 87–62 J. Thomas (31) Bonner (8) A. Thomas (5) IMG Academy 1–0 2 September 22 Las Vegas Aces L 75–83 Bonner (23) Mompremier (9) J. Thomas (4) IMG Academy 1–1 3 September 24 Las Vegas Aces W 77–68 A. Thomas (23) A. Thomas (12) J. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 2–1 4 September 27 Las Vegas Aces L 75–84 J. Thomas (25) Bonner (15) J. Thomas (6) IMG Academy 2–2 5 September 29 Las Vegas Aces L 63–66 A. Thomas (22) Jones (12) Bonner (6) IMG Academy 2–3
2020 playoff schedule

Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Conf.
1	x – Las Vegas Aces	18	4	.818	–	8–2
2	x – Seattle Storm	18	4	.818	–	8–2
3	x – Los Angeles Sparks	15	7	.682	3	5–5
4	x – Minnesota Lynx	14	8	.636	4	4–6
5	x – Phoenix Mercury	13	9	.591	5	4–6
6	x – Chicago Sky	12	10	.545	6	6–4
7	x – Connecticut Sun	10	12	.455	8	7–3
8	x – Washington Mystics	9	13	.409	9	6–4
9	e – Dallas Wings	8	14	.364	10	1–9
10	e – Atlanta Dream	7	15	.318	11	5–5
11	e – Indiana Fever	6	16	.273	12	4–6
12	e – New York Liberty	2	20	.091	16	2–8

• v
• t
• e

Notes

x – Clinched playoff berth

e – Eliminated from playoffs

Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.

Updated to include results from September 13, 2020

Source

Playoffs

Main article: 2020 WNBA Playoffs

	First round: Single elimination (September 15)					Second round: Single elimination (September 17)					Semifinals: Best-of-five (September 20–29)									WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (October 2–11)
											1	Las Vegas Aces	62	83	68	84	66
						4	Minnesota Lynx	80			7	Connecticut Sun	87	75	77	75	63
	5	Phoenix Mercury	85			5	Phoenix Mercury	79												1	Las Vegas Aces	80	91	59
	8	Washington Mystics	84																	2	Seattle Storm	93	104	92
											2	Seattle Storm			88	89	92
						3	Los Angeles Sparks	59			4	Minnesota Lynx			86	79	71			Third place
	6	Chicago Sky	81			7	Connecticut Sun	73
	7	Connecticut Sun	94

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Statistics

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
DeWanna Bonner	22	22	33.3	42.2	25.2	89.5	7.8	3.0	1.7	0.5	19.7
Alyssa Thomas	21	21	32.8	50.0	0	68.6	9.0	4.8	2.0	0.3	15.5
Brionna Jones	21	21	26.1	60.5	100	69.1	5.6	1.0	1.7	0.7	11.2
Jasmine Thomas	19	19	25.5	40.4	33.3	91.3	1.7	4.0	1.3	0.3	10.2
Natisha Hiedeman	22	4	18.5	35.4	35.9	70.0	1.9	1.9	0.4	0	6.1
Kaila Charles	21	7	17.9	41.2	36.7	71.0	2.6	0.9	0.8	0.3	5.4
Briann January	13	10	23.3	29.3	36.7	83.3	1.2	3.4	0.6	0.2	5.0
Bria Holmes	18	4	16.2	35.7	33.3	66.7	1.8	1.1	0.7	0.3	4.9
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis	16	0	10.3	29.7	25.5	57.1	1.3	0.3	0.2	0.1	3.4
Essence Carson	11	2	11.2	32.5	28.6	75.0	1.5	0.6	0.4	0.1	3.2
Theresa Plaisance	13	0	6.9	37.9	29.4	83.3	1.0	0.1	0.4	0.2	2.5
Beatrice Mompremier	21	0	8.9	42.6	0	44.4	3.3	0.1	0.2	0.6	2.3

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
DeWanna Bonner	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week	August 17, 2020	^[21]
Alyssa Thomas		August 31, 2020	^[22]
DeWanna Bonner		September 8, 2020	^[23]
Alyssa Thomas	1st Team All-Defense	September 29, 2020	^[24]
DeWanna Bonner	All-WNBA Second Team	October 4, 2020	^[25]

References

1. "2020 Connecticut Sun Schedule". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
2. "Atlanta Dream Announce 2020 Schedule - Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
3. "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
4. "WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season". WNBA. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
5. "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
6. "Jonquel Jones Returns to the Sun". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
7. "Seattle Completes Trade with Connecticut Acquires Morgan Tuck". storm.wnba.com. WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
8. "Connecticut Signs Hiedeman". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
9. Metcalfe, Jeff (February 11, 2020). "Phoenix Mercury All-Star DeWanna Bonner traded to Connecticut Sun". azcentral.com. Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
10. "Connecticut native and dynamic playmaker Bria Holmes re-signs with the Sun". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
11. "Sun Acquire All-Star Briann January, 2021 draft pick as a part of a three-team trade". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
12. "Sun Acquire Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Seattle". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
13. "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Rachel Banham". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
14. "Connecticut Signs Gwathmey". twitter.com/ConnecticutSun. Connecticut Sun. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
15. "Connecticut Signs Valeriane Ayayi". twitter.com/ConnecticutSun. Connecticut Sun. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
16. "Connecticut Signs Jacki Gemelos". twitter.com/ConnecticutSun. Connecticut Sun. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
17. "Connecticut Signs Megan Huff". twitter.com/ConnecticutSun. Connecticut Sun. March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
18. "Jones Opts out for 2020 Season". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
19. "Connecticut Welcomes Beatrice Mompremier". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
20. "Jacki Gemelos Signs with the Sun". sun.wnba.com. WNBA. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
21. "Bonner, Collier Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 3". wnba.com. WNBA. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
22. "Thomas, Stewart Earn Player of the Week Honors For Week 5". wnba.com. WNBA. August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
23. "Diggins-Smith, Bonner Earn Player Of The Week Honors For Week 6". wnba.com. WNBA. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
24. "Two Atlanta Dream Players And Seattle Storm's Alysha Clark Headline 2020 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
25. "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Connecticut Sun at ESPN.com