# 2021 Connecticut Sun season

The 2021 WNBA season was the 23rd season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was also the 19th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season began on May 14, 2021, at the Atlanta Dream.
The Sun started the season strongly and went on a five-game winning streak before losing their first game. They lost two of their last three games in May to finish with a strong 6–2 record in that month. The month of June was streaky for the Sun, with a three-game losing streak book-ended by a two-game winning streak and a three-game winning streak. Those streaks left the team with a 5–3 record in June. The Sun went 3–1 in July, the last month before the Olympic break. The team headed into the Olympic break with a 14–6 overall record.
The first game back from the Olympic break was the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup, where the Sun faced off against the Seattle Storm in Phoenix. The game was difficult for the Sun and they lost 57–79. However, this result would not portend the rest of the team's results after the Olympic break. The Sun won their remaining seven games in August to finish the month with a 7–0 regular season record. Their dominance continued into September where the Sun went 5–0, to finish the season on a thirteen-game winning streak. Their final regular season record was 26–6, which earned them the top seed in the 2021 WNBA Playoffs. Their 26 wins was tied for the most regular season wins in franchise history with 2005 and 2006.
As the first seed in the playoffs, the Sun earned a double bye into the Semifinals and would have home-court advantage against the lowest remaining seed from the second round. After the second round, it was determined that the Sun would play the Chicago Sky. The series started off with a thrilling double overtime game that the Sun dropped 95–101. The Sun won the next game 79–68 to take a 1–1 series into Chicago. Chicago used their home court to their advantage and won the next two games and the series 3–1.

## WNBA Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
| 2 | 20 | DiJonai Carrington | United States | Baylor |
| 2 | 21 | Micaela Kelly | United States | Central Michigan |
| 3 | 30 | Aleah Goodman | United States | Oregon State |

## Trades/Roster Changes

| Date | Details |
| January 4, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offer to Natisha Hiedeman |
| January 5, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offers to Brionna Jones and Beatrice Mompremier |
| January 7, 2021 | Signed Natisha Hiedeman to the Qualifying Offer |
| January 10, 2021 | Signed Beatrice Mompremier to the Qualifying Offer |
| February 1, 2021 | Signed Kamiah Smalls to a Training Camp Contract |
| February 2, 2021 | Re-Signed Alyssa Thomas |
| February 4, 2021 | Re-Signed Jasmine Thomas |
| February 5, 2021 | Re-Signed Brionna Jones |
| February 6, 2021 | Signed Sydney Wallace to a Training Camp Contract |
| February 15, 2021 | Signed Morgan Bertsch to a Training Camp Contract |
| March 28, 2021 | Signed Stephanie Jones to a Training Camp Contract |
| April 9, 2021 | Signed Tanaya Atkinson to a Training Camp Contract |
| April 16, 2021 | Signed Teana Muldrow to a Training Camp Contract |
| April 17, 2021 | Signed DiJonai Carrington, Micaela Kelly, and Aleah Goodman to Rookie Scale Contracts. |
| April 17, 2021 | Signed Feyonda Fitzgerald, Vionise Pierre-Louis, and Kai James to Training Camp Contracts. |
| April 18, 2021 | Signed Brianna Fraser to a Training Camp Contract |
| April 17, 2021 | Waived Sydney Wallace, Vionise Pierre-Louis, Teana Muldrow, and Kai James. |
| May 2, 2021 | Waived Tanaya Atkinson. |
| May 9, 2021 | Waived Micaela Kelly, Feyonda Fitzgerald, and Morgan Bertsch. |
| May 11, 2021 | Waived Aleah Goodman and Brianna Fraser. |
| May 12, 2021 | Waived Kamiah Smalls. |
| May 12, 2021 | Temporarily Suspended Jasmine Thomas. |
| May 14, 2021 | Signed Aleah Goodman to a Hardship Contract. |
| May 17, 2021 | Activate Jasmine Thomas from Temporary Suspension List. |
| May 17, 2021 | Released Aleah Goodman from Hardship Contract. |
| May 21, 2021 | Signed Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to a Hardship Contract. |
| May 28, 2021 | Released Shatori Walker-Kimbrough from the Hardship Contract. |
| June 6, 2021 | Temporarily Suspend Jonquel Jones due to Overseas Commitments |
| June 7, 2021 | Signed Emma Cannon to a Hardship Contract |
| June 27, 2021 | Release Emma Cannon from the Hardship Contract |
| June 29, 2021 | Activate Jonquel Jones from Temporary Suspension |

## Roster
### Depth Chart

| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
| PG | Jasmine Thomas | Natisha Hiedeman |
| SG | Briann January | Kaila Charles |
| SF | DeWanna Bonner | DiJonai Carrington |
| PF | Jonquel Jones | Alyssa Thomas Stephanie Jones |
| C | Brionna Jones | Beatrice Mompremier |

## Game log
### Preseason

2021 pre-season game log :
May: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 3
New York
Scrimmage
Mohegan Sun Arena 0
0–0
2
May 8
@ Dallas
W 89–76
Brionna Jones (22)
Brionna Jones (9)
Aleah Goodman (5)
College Park Center
1–0 :
2021 pre-season schedule :

### Regular season

2021 game log Total: 26–6 (Home: 15–1; Road: 11–5) :
May: 6–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 14
@ Atlanta
W 78–67
Jonquel Jones (26)
J. Jones Hiedeman (8)
DeWanna Bonner (5)
Gateway Center Arena 561
1–0
2
May 16
Phoenix
W 86–78
DeWanna Bonner (27)
Jonquel Jones (13)
Briann January (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,042
2–0
3
May 19
Indiana
W 88–67
Natisha Hiedeman (19)
Jonquel Jones (11)
Natisha Hiedeman (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,084
3–0
4
May 21
@ Phoenix
W 84–67
Jonquel Jones (16)
Jonquel Jones (11)
DeWanna Bonner (5)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,101
4–0
5
May 23
@ Las Vegas
W 72–65
DeWanna Bonner (22)
Jonquel Jones (11)
Jasmine Thomas (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 1,954
5–0
6
May 25
@ Seattle
L 87–90 (OT)
Jonquel Jones (28)
Jonquel Jones (13)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,011
5–1
7
May 28
Washington
W 86–81
Jonquel Jones (20)
Jonquel Jones (12)
Jonquel Jones (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,102
6–1
8
May 30
@ Minnesota
L 74–79 (OT)
Jonquel Jones (22)
Bonner B. Jones (6)
Bonner J. Thomas (5)
Target Center 2,007
6–2 :
June
: 5–3 (Home: 4–1; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
9
June 1
Las Vegas
W 74–67
Jonquel Jones (23)
Bonner B. Jones (8)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena N/A
7–2
10
June 5
New York
W 85–64
Jonquel Jones (31)
Jonquel Jones (13)
Jasmine Thomas (9)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,118
8–2
11
June 13
Seattle
L 66–89
Bonner Charles (14)
DiJonai Carrington (7)
Briann January (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,248
8–3
12
June 17
@ Chicago
L 75–81
Jasmine Thomas (20)
Brionna Jones (12)
Jasmine Thomas (4)
Wintrust Arena 1,293
8–4
13
June 19
@ Chicago
L 81–91
Brionna Jones (22)
B. Jones Bonner (8)
Bonner January (6)
Wintrust Arena 1,293
8–5
14
June 22
Dallas
W 80–70
Brionna Jones (26)
DeWanna Bonner (13)
DeWanna Bonner (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,076
9–5
15
June 27
Chicago
W 74–58
DeWanna Bonner (23)
Beatrice Mompremier (11)
January J. Thomas (3)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,014
10–5
16
June 29
@ Washington
W 90–71
Jonquel Jones (23)
Jonquel Jones (16)
DeWanna Bonner (7)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 2,100
11–5 :
July
: 3–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
July 1
@ Indiana
W 86–80
Brionna Jones (34)
Bonner B. Jones (7)
Jasmine Thomas (7)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse No Fans
12–5
18
July 3
@ Indiana
L 67–73
Jonquel Jones (16)
Jonquel Jones (9)
Bonner Charles (4)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse No Fans
12–6
19
July 9
Atlanta
W 84–72
Jonquel Jones (24)
Jonquel Jones (16)
Hiedeman (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,286
13–6
20
July 11
@ New York
W 71–54
Jonquel Jones (17)
Jonquel Jones (17)
Jonquel Jones (5)
Barclays Center 1,988
14–6 :
August
: 7–0 (Home: 7–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
CC
August 12
vs. Seattle
L 57–79
Bonner Hiedeman (11)
Jonquel Jones (11)
Jasmine Thomas (3)
Footprint Center 5,006
N/A
21
August 15
@ Dallas
W 80–59
Jonquel Jones (19)
Jonquel Jones (15)
Briann January (5)
College Park Center 2,399
15–6
22
August 17
Minnesota
W 72–60
Jasmine Thomas (19)
Jonquel Jones (13)
Jasmine Thomas (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 3,488
16–6
23
August 19
Minnesota
W 82–71
DeWanna Bonner (31)
DeWanna Bonner (11)
Jasmine Thomas (7)
Mohegan Sun Arena 3,536
17–6
24
August 24
Las Vegas
W 76–62
Briann January (19)
Jonquel Jones (10)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,012
18–6
25
August 26
Los Angeles
W 76–72
Brionna Jones (23)
Jonquel Jones (11)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 3,702
19–6
26
August 28
Los Angeles
W 76–61
Brionna Jones (16)
Brionna Jones (15)
Jasmine Thomas (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,434
20–6
27
August 31
@ Washington
W 85–75
Jonquel Jones (31)
Jonquel Jones (14)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 2,269
21–6 :
September
: 5–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 3–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
28
September 7
@ Dallas
W 83–56
Brionna Jones (18)
Brionna Jones (10)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
College Park Center 1,945
22–6
29
September 9
@ Los Angeles
W 75–57
Jonquel Jones (21)
Jonquel Jones (14)
DeWanna Bonner (5)
Staples Center 1,695
23–6
30
September 11
@ Phoenix
W 76–67
Jasmine Thomas (17)
Jonquel Jones (16)
Briann January (5)
Footprint Center 9,811
24–6
31
September 15
New York
W 98–69
Bonner J. Jones (18)
Jonquel Jones (13)
Natisha Hiedeman (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,012
25–6
32
September 19
Atlanta
W 84–64
Natisha Hiedeman (16)
Brionna Jones (12)
Briann January (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,724
26–6 :
2021 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2021 playoff game log Total: 1–3 :
Semifinals
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 28
Chicago
L 95–101 (2OT)
Jonquel Jones (26)
Jonquel Jones (11)
January J. Jones (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,720
0–1
2
September 30
Chicago
W 79–68
Bonner A. Thomas (15)
Alyssa Thomas (11)
Alyssa Thomas (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 6,088
1–1
3
October 3
@ Chicago
L 83–86
DeWanna Bonner (22)
Jonquel Jones (10)
Jasmine Thomas (6)
Wintrust Arena 7,421
1–2
4
October 6
@ Chicago
L 69–79
Jonquel Jones (25)
Jonquel Jones (11)
Alyssa Thomas (4)
Wintrust Arena :
2021 playoff schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
| 5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
| 8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
| 9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
| 11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
* v
* t
* e
Notes
    (#) – League Standing
    x – Clinched playoff berth
    e – Eliminated from playoff contention
    Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

## Playoffs

| First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Seattle Storm | 80 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 77 | 91$^{OT}$ | 50 | 74 | – |
| 8 | New York Liberty | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Chicago Sky | 91 | 86 | 86 | 80 | – |
| | | | | | | 1 | Connecticut Sun | 95 | 79 | 83 | 69 | – | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 101$^{2OT}$ | 68 | 86 | 79 | – | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

## Statistics

Source:

### Regular Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Jonquel Jones | 27 | 27 | 31.7 | 51.5 | 36.2 | 80.2 | 11.2 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 19.4 |
| DeWanna Bonner | 32 | 32 | 31.9 | 39.5 | 31.7 | 89.2 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 15.2 |
| Brionna Jones | 32 | 32 | 30.6 | 57.1 | 0.0 | 79.6 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 14.7 |
| Jasmine Thomas | 30 | 30 | 29.6 | 38.6 | 40.0 | 87.5 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 10.6 |
| Natisha Hiedeman | 32 | 5 | 20.1 | 40.0 | 39.8 | 70.0 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 7.6 |
| Briann January | 29 | 29 | 30.2 | 42.5 | 38.0 | 86.8 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 7.0 |
| Alyssa Thomas | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | 26.7 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| Kaila Charles | 30 | 4 | 16.3 | 36.8 | 30.3 | 87.5 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 4.3 |
| DiJonai Carrington | 24 | 1 | 9.2 | 32.9 | 14.3 | 73.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.8 |
| Beatrice Mompremier | 32 | 0 | 8.6 | 49.1 | 0.0 | 41.7 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.8 |
| Stephanie Jones | 18 | 0 | 5.5 | 41.1 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date awarded |
| Jonquel Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Month | June 2 |
| Jonquel Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | June 7 |
| DeWanna Bonner | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | June 28 |
| Brionna Jones | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Jonquel Jones | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| DeWanna Bonner | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Brionna Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | July 6 |
| Jonquel Jones yay | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | July 12 |
| Jonquel Jones yay | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | August 23 |
| Brionna Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | August 30 |
| Jonquel Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Month | September 2 |
| Curt Miller | WNBA Coach of the Month – August | September 2 |
| Jonquel Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | September 6 |
| Curt Miller | WNBA Coach of the Month – September | September 20 |
| Jonquel Jones | Eastern Conference Player of the Month | September 20 |
| Jonquel Jones | Peak Performer: Rebounds | September 20 |
| Briann January | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 26 |
| Jonquel Jones | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 26 |
| Jasmine Thomas | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 26 |
| Brionna Jones | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 26 |
| Jonquel Jones | WNBA MVP | September 28 |
| Brionna Jones | WNBA Most Improved Player | September 28 |
| Curt Miller | Coach of the Year Award | September 28 |
| Jonquel Jones | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |