Sun break open tight game with third-quarter surge, beat Toronto Tempo 95-81

The game changed when the tie stopped mattering

The opening half was restless in the best way, with neither side able to hold control for long. Toronto took an early 11-6 lead when Kia Nurse hit from 24 feet at 5:42 of the first quarter, and Kiki Rice was already dictating tempo with attacks to the rim and quick pull-ups. Connecticut answered without panic. Aaliyah Edwards and Raegan Beers kept finishing inside, Ashlon Jackson buried a 26-foot step-back three at 2:06, and the Sun moved out of the first quarter ahead 23-20.

Toronto kept coming. Rice’s free throws at 7:51 of the second quarter put the Tempo back in front at 24-23, and Ornella Bankole’s layup at 4:04 nudged them ahead 30-28. Isabelle Harrison gave Toronto a steady interior option all half, and her work around the basket helped the visitors stay attached even when the jump shots were not always there. But Connecticut kept finding an answer before any Toronto burst could breathe. Edwards scored again, Hailey Van Lith added a pull-up jumper at 2:41, and the Sun carried a narrow 38-36 lead into halftime.

The decisive shift came after the break, and it came quickly enough to change the tone of the night. Laura Juskaite tied the game at 38-38 with two free throws, Rice hit a 24-foot three at 8:07 of the third, and her free throws at 7:13 gave Toronto a 43-40 edge. That was the last clean opening for the Tempo. Connecticut responded with scores from Leila Lacan, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Beers, then found its real separation late in the quarter. After Rice cut the margin to 56-52 at 2:47, the Sun ran it to 67-52 by the 52.5-second mark behind Van Lith, Beers, Gianna Kneepkens and Jackson. Toronto trimmed the score to 69-57 by quarter’s end, but the hinge of the game had already swung.

Van Lith connected the pieces, and Jackson stretched the floor

Connecticut’s stat line tells a clear story: 37-for-74 from the field, 50 percent shooting, 19 assists and 54 points in the paint. Just as important, those numbers came from several sources instead of one isolated scorer. Edwards scored 16 on 6-for-11 shooting. Beers added 17 points and eight rebounds, also on 6-for-11 shooting, and did not commit a turnover. Jackson supplied the bursts that changed the geometry of the game, scoring 18 points and hitting five of her nine attempts from three-point range.

Van Lith’s line was the connective tissue. She finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and the play-by-play shows how often she linked Connecticut’s best moments. She set up Beers early, fed Edwards in the first quarter, assisted Kneepkens in the second, and kept finding shooters and cutters as the Sun pulled away. Her own scoring mattered too: floating jumpers at 4:59 and 4:26 of the third quarter helped stabilize the Sun after Toronto’s last lead, and her step-back at 8:09 of the fourth pushed the margin to 16.

Toronto had enough individual production to stay dangerous, but not enough collective efficiency to finish the upset. Rice was excellent for long stretches, scoring 28 points with eight rebounds, two made threes and a perfect 8-for-8 night at the line. Harrison delivered 19 points and 10 rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting. Juskaite scored 15 and got to the stripe 10 times. The problem for the Tempo was what happened around those efforts: the team shot 25-for-74 overall and 5-for-29 from deep, and the offense produced only 13 assists. Toronto found ways to extend possessions with 14 offensive rebounds and stayed active defensively with eight steals, but too many possessions ended without enough return.

Our take: the margin was efficiency, not opportunity

This result feels straightforward once the shot totals are lined up. Both teams attempted 74 field goals. Connecticut made 37 of them; Toronto made 25. That is the game before any other layer is added. The Sun were cleaner with the same volume, sharper in the paint, and better at turning shared creation into actual points. Their 19 assists, 54 paint points and 19 points off turnovers describe a team that did not need one hot hand to control the scoreboard.

For Toronto, the encouraging part is that the raw opportunity count was not lopsided. The Tempo won the rebounding battle 40-36, collected 14 offensive boards and earned 30 free-throw attempts, making 26. Those are the numbers of a team that gave itself chances. The improvement case is equally clear: better perimeter conversion and more connected finishing within the offense. When a team shoots 17.2 percent from three and 33.8 percent overall, the pressure created by offensive rebounds and free throws has to carry too much weight.

Connecticut, meanwhile, won comfortably without playing a spotless game. The Sun committed 22 fouls, sent Toronto to the line 30 times and allowed 14 offensive rebounds. On another night, that can make a fourth quarter far less manageable. Even so, when Toronto cut the deficit to 83-71 on Rice’s layup at 2:34 of the fourth, Connecticut answered like the better shooting team all night: Jackson drilled a 29-footer 10 seconds later, added another three at 1:13, and closed the scoring for the Sun with a running jumper at 51.0 seconds. That was the final summary of the evening. Toronto kept competing. Connecticut kept converting.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 8:46

   Kiki Rice makes driving layup

2. 1st Quarter · 8:32

   Charlisse Leger-Walker makes 13-foot pullup jump shot

3. 1st Quarter · 8:07

   Raegan Beers makes layup (Aaliyah Edwards assists)

4. 1st Quarter · 7:50

   Isabelle Harrison makes driving layup (Julie Allemand assists)

5. 1st Quarter · 7:19

   Kiki Rice makes two point shot

6. 1st Quarter · 6:24

   Kiki Rice makes running layup (Laura Juskaite assists)

7. 1st Quarter · 5:59

   Aaliyah Edwards makes driving layup (Charlisse Leger-Walker assists)

8. 1st Quarter · 5:42

   Kia Nurse makes 24-foot three pointer

9. 1st Quarter · 4:42

   Nell Angloma makes two point shot

10. 1st Quarter · 4:23

    Aaliyah Edwards makes 3-foot running jump shot (Hailey Van Lith assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 3:55

    Charlisse Leger-Walker makes 5-foot driving floating jump shot

12. 1st Quarter · 3:34

    Kia Nurse makes free throw 1 of 2

13. 1st Quarter · 3:34

    Kia Nurse makes free throw 2 of 2

14. 1st Quarter · 3:11

    Nell Angloma makes two point shot (Aaliyah Edwards assists)

15. 1st Quarter · 2:37

    Aaliyah Edwards makes layup

16. 1st Quarter · 2:28

    Kiki Rice makes driving layup

17. 1st Quarter · 2:28

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 1 of 1

18. 1st Quarter · 2:06

    Ashlon Jackson makes 26-foot three point step back jumpshot

19. 1st Quarter · 1:38

    Raegan Beers makes two point shot

20. 1st Quarter · 1:38

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 1 of 1

21. 1st Quarter · 1:13

    Gianna Kneepkens makes technical free throw

22. 1st Quarter · 41.7

    Isabelle Harrison makes 3-foot layup (Julie Allemand assists)

23. 1st Quarter · 0.5

    Zaay Green makes two point shot

24. 2nd Quarter · 8:19

    Isabelle Harrison makes 2-foot fade away jump shot

25. 2nd Quarter · 7:51

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 1 of 2

26. 2nd Quarter · 7:51

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 2 of 2

27. 2nd Quarter · 7:36

    Diamond Miller makes 25-foot three point jumper (Hailey Van Lith assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 7:11

    Isabelle Harrison makes two point shot

29. 2nd Quarter · 6:53

    Isabelle Harrison makes 2-foot layup (Kiki Rice assists)

30. 2nd Quarter · 6:04

    Gianna Kneepkens makes running layup (Hailey Van Lith assists)

31. 2nd Quarter · 4:04

    Ornella Bankole makes 2-foot layup (Laura Juskaite assists)

32. 2nd Quarter · 3:50

    Aaliyah Edwards makes driving layup

33. 2nd Quarter · 3:22

    Aaliyah Edwards makes two point shot

34. 2nd Quarter · 2:41

    Hailey Van Lith makes 15-foot pullup jump shot

35. 2nd Quarter · 2:24

    Isabelle Harrison makes 2-foot layup (Ornella Bankole assists)

36. 2nd Quarter · 2:04

    Kiki Rice makes 17-foot pullup jump shot

37. 2nd Quarter · 1:54

    Aaliyah Edwards makes free throw 1 of 2

38. 2nd Quarter · 1:54

    Aaliyah Edwards makes free throw 2 of 2

39. 2nd Quarter · 1:03

    Isabelle Harrison makes free throw 1 of 2

40. 2nd Quarter · 1:03

    Isabelle Harrison makes free throw 2 of 2

41. 2nd Quarter · 26.6

    Aaliyah Edwards makes free throw 1 of 2

42. 2nd Quarter · 26.6

    Aaliyah Edwards makes free throw 2 of 2

43. 3rd Quarter · 9:15

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 1 of 2

44. 3rd Quarter · 9:15

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 2 of 2

45. 3rd Quarter · 8:21

    Aaliyah Edwards makes 1-foot layup (Leila Lacan assists)

46. 3rd Quarter · 8:07

    Kiki Rice makes 24-foot three point jumper (Julie Allemand assists)

47. 3rd Quarter · 7:13

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 1 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 7:13

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 2 of 2

49. 3rd Quarter · 6:58

    Leila Lacan makes 8-foot pullup jump shot

50. 3rd Quarter · 6:44

    Charlisse Leger-Walker makes 2-foot running jump shot (Nell Angloma assists)

51. 3rd Quarter · 6:44

    Charlisse Leger-Walker makes free throw 1 of 1

52. 3rd Quarter · 6:33

    Isabelle Harrison makes free throw 2 of 2

53. 3rd Quarter · 6:22

    Raegan Beers makes 3-foot layup (Leila Lacan assists)

54. 3rd Quarter · 6:12

    Isabelle Harrison makes free throw 1 of 2

55. 3rd Quarter · 6:12

    Isabelle Harrison makes free throw 2 of 2

56. 3rd Quarter · 5:39

    Gianna Kneepkens makes free throw 1 of 2

57. 3rd Quarter · 5:39

    Gianna Kneepkens makes free throw 2 of 2

58. 3rd Quarter · 5:15

    Laura Juskaite makes two point shot

59. 3rd Quarter · 4:59

    Hailey Van Lith makes 5-foot floating jump shot

60. 3rd Quarter · 4:26

    Hailey Van Lith makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot

61. 3rd Quarter · 4:13

    Laura Juskaite makes 2-foot layup (Kiki Rice assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 3:55

    Gianna Kneepkens makes 25-foot three point jumper (Ashlon Jackson assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 2:47

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 1 of 2

64. 3rd Quarter · 2:47

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 2 of 2

65. 3rd Quarter · 2:35

    Hailey Van Lith makes 11-foot pullup jump shot

66. 3rd Quarter · 2:17

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 1 of 2

67. 3rd Quarter · 2:17

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 2 of 2

68. 3rd Quarter · 2:00

    Gianna Kneepkens makes two point shot

69. 3rd Quarter · 1:34

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 1 of 2

70. 3rd Quarter · 1:34

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 2 of 2

71. 3rd Quarter · 52.5

    Ashlon Jackson makes 32-foot three point jumper (Hailey Van Lith assists)

72. 3rd Quarter · 32.4

    Isabelle Harrison makes 8-foot two point shot (Kia Nurse assists)

73. 3rd Quarter · 9.9

    Raegan Beers makes two point shot

74. 3rd Quarter · 1.3

    Zaay Green makes 24-foot three point jumper (Julie Allemand assists)

75. 4th Quarter · 8:43

    Raegan Beers makes 1-foot layup (Hailey Van Lith assists)

76. 4th Quarter · 8:09

    Hailey Van Lith makes 19-foot step back jumpshot (Ashlon Jackson assists)

77. 4th Quarter · 7:23

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 1 of 2

78. 4th Quarter · 7:23

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 2 of 2

79. 4th Quarter · 7:02

    Raegan Beers makes two point shot

80. 4th Quarter · 6:46

    Laura Juskaite makes driving layup (Julie Allemand assists)

81. 4th Quarter · 6:19

    Gianna Kneepkens makes two point shot

82. 4th Quarter · 6:07

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 1 of 2

83. 4th Quarter · 6:07

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 2 of 2

84. 4th Quarter · 5:18

    Nell Angloma makes driving layup (Hailey Van Lith assists)

85. 4th Quarter · 4:16

    Teonni Key makes running layup (Laura Juskaite assists)

86. 4th Quarter · 3:41

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 2 of 2

87. 4th Quarter · 3:28

    Ashlon Jackson makes 5-foot driving floating jump shot (Hailey Van Lith assists)

88. 4th Quarter · 3:14

    Kiki Rice makes driving layup

89. 4th Quarter · 3:14

    Kiki Rice makes free throw 1 of 1

90. 4th Quarter · 2:53

    Hailey Van Lith makes 11-foot pullup jump shot (Gianna Kneepkens assists)

91. 4th Quarter · 2:34

    Kiki Rice makes driving layup

92. 4th Quarter · 2:24

    Ashlon Jackson makes 29-foot three point jumper (Raegan Beers assists)

93. 4th Quarter · 2:11

    Kia Nurse makes free throw 1 of 2

94. 4th Quarter · 2:11

    Kia Nurse makes free throw 2 of 2

95. 4th Quarter · 1:58

    Nell Angloma makes 5-foot layup (Gianna Kneepkens assists)

96. 4th Quarter · 1:52

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 1 of 2

97. 4th Quarter · 1:52

    Laura Juskaite makes free throw 2 of 2

98. 4th Quarter · 1:36

    Ashlon Jackson makes free throw 2 of 2

99. 4th Quarter · 1:19

    Kiki Rice makes 24-foot three pointer

100. 4th Quarter · 1:13

     Ashlon Jackson makes 27-foot three point jumper

101. 4th Quarter · 51.0

     Ashlon Jackson makes 29-foot running jump shot (Hailey Van Lith assists)

102. 4th Quarter · 46.8

     Kia Nurse makes 24-foot three point jumper (Teonni Key assists)