Sun Hope To Secure Win No. 13 Against Atlanta Dream Despite Injuries

Rounding out a forgettable season, the Connecticut Sun are looking to take home their second win against the Atlanta Dream, despite Leila Lacan out because of an injury.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Connecticut Sun take on the Atlanta Dream for the final time this season tonight (September 8) for a matchup that will mark the fourth time the teams have seen each other in 2025. After breaking a three-game losing streak on Saturday, Connecticut is hoping to secure its 12th win before the end of the season. 

The Sun first faced the Dream in May, marking their first loss against the team. With a final score of 55 to 79, the Sun was outmatched on offense, without yet having breakout rookie on the roster, Leila Lacan, the team struggled in the first half of the season on both ends of the court. They only managed seven points in the fourth quarter. 

Marina Mabrey led the team with a mere 12 points that game; the only other significant scorers were Tina Charles and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who both scored 11. Their field goal percentage was 31% compared to the Dream’s 41%, showing a lack of ability to hold strong on the offense, a theme that would follow them during the rest of the season. 

The teams next face-off was just a week later in June. This time, the Sun were able to pull ahead and take home a win, outscoring the Atlanta 84 to 76. The Sun’s offense in this game was significantly better. Mabrey showed up to play and shut the house down with 34 points. Charles contributed 19 and Bria Hartlet put up 11. 

While the team's main offensive plays come from Mabrey and Charles, towards the middle of the season you can see that the team's rookies are getting comfortable on the court, bringing more and more to each game. The Sun were finally able to get some momentum under them during this matchup and outscored the Dream every quarter but the first. 

An Inconsistent Offense Led To Yet Another Loss Against The Dream

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The teams did not see each other again until earlier this month (September 1st), and each team had some time to adjust to the season. This time the Sun fell again, 93 to 76, despite having an upgraded roster with Leila Lacan. A bleak show up from the Sun’s offense led to their demise this time around. 

While Charles was able to put up 22 points and Lacan 17, Mabrey only had 12; a huge difference from the game in June. Unfortunately for the Sun, if these three players are not on their A-game, they don’t typically have another offensive powerhouse to make up for a lack in points. 

Mamignan Toure tried to help, coming off the bench with 10 points, but they still could not stop four out of the five Dream starters from scoring in the double digits on the defensive end. 

Looking ahead to tonight's game, Connecticut is hoping to even out the matchups- going two and two, and securing their 13th win of the season. It may be another struggle as three of their players, including Lacan, are out with an injury. 

The Sun play their second-to-last game of the 2025 season tonight (September 8th) at 7:30 p.m. ET at The Gateway Center Arena in Georgia. 

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