Connecticut Sun Guard Bria Hartley to Miss Remainder of Season After Injury

The Connecticut Sun will be down another guard as they prepare to take on the Atlanta Dream on Monday.

Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley (14) passes the ball against the Dallas Wings during the second half at College Park Center. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Connecticut Sun Guard Bria Hartley will miss the remainder of the season after she suffered a meniscus tear in her right knee during a practice.

The Sun announced the injury and the decision to end Hartley’s season via a press release. The Sun are at home preparing for Monday’s game with the Atlanta Dream. Connecticut (10-29) lost to Minnesota, 94-70, at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday night.

Hartley was ruled out before the game with the right knee injury, though the extent of the injury wasn’t clear until Sunday. It’s likely the injury occurred in the ramp-up to Saturday’s game. She played in 38 games, started 32 and averaged 8.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Sun Without Bria Hartley

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Hartley started for Connecticut when it faced Dallas on Wednesday, a 101-95 victory. She scored eight points and dished out six assists in the contest. Without Hartley, the Sun turned to Lindsay Allen at guard on Saturday. She scored two points, dished out three assists and had two steals in 22 minutes against the Lynx.

Allen is an eight-year veteran who went to Notre Dame and joined the WNBA in 2017. She’s played in 26 games for the Sun, but started just four, and averaged 1.9 points per game. With Aneesah Morrow, Tina Charles, Marina Mabrey and Leila Lacan in the starting lineup, the Sun don’t need much scoring from Allen. But that doesn’t mean the veteran won’t be pushed.

Saniya Rivers is the guard most likely to flip into the starting lineup for the Sun in place of Allen. She’s played in 37 games, started 23 and is averaging 8.3 points per game. Just as importantly she’s averaging nearly three assists per game. She played 22 minutes off the bench against the Lynx but scored six points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Bria Hartley’s Career

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Hartley was a standout at UConn, after which she was selected No. 7 overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2014 WNBA draft. She was immediately traded to the Washington Mystics. She played three seasons with the Mystics, followed by three seasons with the New York Liberty (2017-19), two seasons with the Phoenix Mercury (2020-21) and one season with the Indiana Fever (2022). She played three games for the Sun in 2022 before suffering an ACL tear. She played overseas the past two years.

The 32-year-old has played in 245 WNBA games, with 131 starts, and has averaged 8.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She was named WNBA All-Rookie in 2014 and overseas has claimed two Turkish Super League titles, along with a Turkish Cup.

Remaining Sun Schedule

Monday, Sept. 1: vs. Atlanta, 1 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston

Wednesday, Sept. 3: at Chicago, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston

Saturday, Sept. 6: vs. Phoenix, 1 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston

Monday, Sept. 8: at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston

Wednesday, Sept. 10: vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston

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