WNBA power rankings: New York Liberty’s history-making win highlights Connecticut Sun’s downward spiral

The Connecticut Sun were coming off their first win of the season, an 85-83 victory over the shorthanded Indiana Fever, when they rolled into Barclays Center to face the New York Liberty. The Sun knew the game would not be easy. The Liberty are the defending champions, undefeated in 2025.

The Liberty won the game 100-52. That’s not a typo. It was the second-most lopsided win in WNBA history. Every Liberty player who was healthy enough to play scored. (Nyara Sabally is out with a knee injury.) The Liberty shot 62.3 percent from the field, and amazingly, the Sun shot less than half that number: 31.1.

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It was the kind of game that made you feel bad for Sun fans and the whiplash they must be feeling. Last fall, the Sun made it to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. The last time they didn’t make the playoffs was 2016. Sun fans are used to success, but the exodus of the entire starting lineup and head coach Stephanie White (to the Fever) portended a rough season in Uncasville.

But this? Going down in WNBA history for one of the worst losses ever? Being the worst in the league in points per game and defensive rating? Sun fans were likely not ready for things to fall apart this quickly. Though there is some hope in the draft, especially considering the strength of the 2026 class, the WNBA calculates draft lottery odds based on the past two years of play by a WNBA team.

Instead, Sun fans need to look elsewhere for hope. As the season was beginning, the team announced it is exploring a sale, whether that’s selling stakes in the team, or selling the whole team. New ownership, or at least a new influx of cash, can help the Sun build the facilities they need to attract free agents.

But none of this will happen quickly, whether that’s the sale and move of the Sun, or building a respectable practice facility near the Mohegan Sun Casino, where the Sun currently play. Building up through draft picks will take some time, too. It’s likely things will get worse in Connecticut before they get better.

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AP Player of the Week: Allisha Gray

Allisha Gray is one of the major reasons the Atlanta Dream are 5-2. She’s been a scoring machine, averaging 21.4 points per game, which ranks her fifth in the WNBA. Throw in her 4.6 assists per game, and it’s not a surprise to see the Dream are second in the league in scoring.

Game of the week

New York Liberty at Washington Mystics, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime: The WNBA schedule is light for many teams this week, but the Mystics have an intriguing rematch. The Liberty won the first matchup, 85-63, on Friday in New York. But it was the kind of loss that the young Mystics team could learn from and improve quickly. Washington has been a fun team to watch so far this season, with rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen acclimating quickly to the league. Can they be the team that hands New York its first loss?

Yahoo Sports power poll

*Record, last week’s ranking in parentheses

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1. New York Liberty (7-0; 1)2. Minnesota Lynx (7-0; 2)3. Phoenix Mercury (5-2; 4)4. Las Vegas Aces (4-2; 6)5. Atlanta Dream (5-2; 7)6. Washington Mystics (3-4; 10)7. Seattle Storm (3-4; 3)8. Indiana Fever (2-4; 5)9. Golden State Valkyries (2-4; 8)10. Chicago Sky (2-4; 11)11. Los Angeles Sparks (2-6; 9)12. Dallas Wings (1-6; 12)13. Connecticut Sun (1-6; 13)

AP Power Poll

*Last week’s ranking in parentheses

1. New York Liberty (1)2. Minnesota Lynx (2) 3. Phoenix Mercury (4)4. Atlanta Dream (7)5. Las Vegas Aces (6)6. Seattle Storm (3)7. Indiana Fever (5)8. Washington Mystics (10)9. Golden State Valkyries (8)10. Chicago Sky (12)11. Los Angeles Sparks (9)12. Dallas Wings (11)13. Connecticut Sun (13)