Lynx-Connecticut rematch goes all Sun's way behind Alyssa Thomas

It was shortly after a back-and-forth first quarter Tuesday night that it happened.

The Lynx played at Connecticut for the second time in three days. They were looking for a repeat of Sunday's upset. After 10 minutes, they held a two-point lead.

And then: "AT decided things would be different," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

AT would be Sun post Alyssa Thomas, who made all kinds of history in Connecticut's 79-69 victory.

Thomas scored 21 points, had a career-high 20 rebounds and added 12 assists.

She became the first player with multiple back-to-back triple-doubles in the same season. She also became the first to have a 20-15-10 game.

That's historic.

"We expected her to impose her will," Reeve said. "We did not think we'd be that easy to play against, let her do everything, score and assist. But that's what she does. She's clearly one of the best players in the world, and she had her way with us."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Connecticut Sun were a much different team to play against Tuesday night.

In Sunday's loss, the Sun (19-7) shot under 40% and allowed the Lynx to score 52 points in the paint. On Tuesday, the Sun were north of 50%, the Lynx at 39%. Connecticut had a 54-30 edge in the paint and a 22-7 edge off turnovers.

A clear edge when it came to aggressive play.

"You knew it wouldn't be as easy," said Diamond Miller, who scored 13 points with six assists. "But we stayed in the game. We kept fighting, even though we were struggling on offense. We're where we need to be. We just have to execute on the offensive side."

To Reeve, the team needed a boost at both ends. She wasn't happy with the post play in general and thought her team was too easy to play against in a game where Minnesota (13-14) saw its three-game winning streak end.

"We were not the team that we've been, for whatever reason," she said. "After the second quarter, I never really felt like, physically, we were in it to compete."

The game was tied at 18 early in the second quarter before the Sun — which also got 17 points from Tyasha Harris off the bench and 16 from Tiffany Hayes — ended the half on a 19-12 run to go up seven. Up eight entering the fourth, the Sun pushed its lead to 14 early in the final quarter.

The Lynx got within six on two free throws by Kayla McBride (15 points) with 59.6 seconds left, but Thomas was fouled and hit two free throws, then she fed a teammate for the final basket.

But it became clear early in the game the Sun had taken their play up a notch.

"The biggest thing was just in terms of which team brought the intensity first," said point guard Lindsay Allen, who scored 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting. "It flipped. Tonight, it was Connecticut."

On Tuesday, it was Thomas, who led the league in both rebounding and assists entering the game.

Minnesota completed a difficult three-game road trip — all played without Napheesa Collier — with a 2-1 record, including last Friday's victory in New York. Now, the Lynx return for a rematch against the Liberty on Friday at Target Center.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.