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The Connecticut Sun went into the offseason with a final loss, dropping an 88-72 contest to the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The Sun (11-33) finish the season among the worst three teams in the league, with only the Chicago Sky (10-33) and the Dallas Wings (9-34) with worse records. Both teams have one game remaining on Thursday.
The Dream (30-14) move on to the WNBA playoffs, which begin on Sunday. Seeding will be determined, and game schedules will be released after the conclusion of the regular season on Thursday.
Now, a potentially tumultuous offseason begins for Connecticut. The Sun’s ownership, the Mohegan Tribe, has at least four known offers for either minority or majority ownership in the franchise. That includes a deal offered by the state of Connecticut that would keep the team in the state. Other offers would have the team move out of the state. The WNBA reportedly isn’t against the Sun leaving for a new city, so long as the franchise doesn’t move to a preferred expansion location.
Meanwhile, the WNBA and the players’ union are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations aren’t likely to start to accelerate until after the postseason. But the Sun, like other franchises, can’t negotiate with free agents or make trades until the CBA is negotiated and ratified. Until then, the Sun are in a holding pattern, as are veterans like Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey, who would command good contracts in a market that expects contracts to go up appreciably.
Unlike the last meeting, the Dream built a huge lead right away. Atlanta outscored Connecticut, 31-13, in the first quarter, and then 20-15 in the second quarter to build a 51-28 lead at halftime. Atlanta could afford to phone in the game, as the Dream entered the game tied for second place with the Las Vegas Aces in the standings. So, a win could help Atlanta for playoff positioning.
Connecticut made one surge in the third quarter, as the Sun outscored the Dream, 30-20, to cut the lead to 71-58. But the Sun couldn’t make additional inroads into the lead and Atlanta coasted to the victory.
Mabrey led the Sun with 22 points, along with five assists. Aneesah Morrow added 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double double. Saniya Rivers scored 16 points and dished out five assists. Charles had nine points.
The Dream had five players in double figures — Brittney Griner with 17 points, Rhyne Howard with 15 points, Brionna Jones with 13 points, Allisha Gray with 13 points and Nia Coffey with 10 points.
