Chiney Ogwumike sits again with tooth issue

NEW YORK (AP) Connecticut Sun forward Chiney Ogwumike missed her second straight game while recovering from an abscessed tooth.

The No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft this past April wasn't feeling well Monday night when her team returned from a road trip. By midnight the right side of her face had swelled up so badly she could barely talk or eat.

Ogwumike said she was on the phone with her mom every hour Monday night and had never felt such pain before.

''I looked like I was a member of Alvin and the Chipmunks,'' Ogwumike said Friday night before her team faced the New York Liberty. ''The dentist said that it stemmed from a cavity I had filled when I was younger and all the repeated hits to the face I've taken jarred it.''

She missed the Sun's game against Chicago on Tuesday and even though the swelling has gone down she said that the team figured it would be better to let it completely heal instead of risking making it worse.

''I hate missing games especially with our backs against the wall,'' Ogwumike said. ''We have four games left and we felt it was more important to be able to play the next three instead of rushing to try and play in this one. It's really about the long term.''

Connecticut is sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference and still has a slim chance to make the playoffs.

Ogwumike is in the running for rookie of the year, averaging 15.9 points and 8.6 rebounds a game.

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