Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals started with a turnover by the Las Vegas Aces. Briann January recovered the bad pass for a steal, and Alyssa Thomas put back Brionna Jones’ initial layup attempt.
The Sun’s up-tempo pace, strong defense and toughness on the offensive glass in the opening 30 seconds signaled a team ready to put this series away after defying expectations and going up 2-1 on the No. 1 Aces. They were playing with the energy coach Curt Miller stressed after a loss Sunday pushed the series to a win-or-go-home Game 5. It amounted to Connecticut running up the score right out of the gate, dropping 30 points on Las Vegas in the first quarter (the most by a team in a single quarter this postseason).
For what happened next, Miller and his team were still trying to grasp it minutes after the final whistle.
Connecticut’s game plan devolved into a sloppy second-half affair. The Sun squandered a 16-point first-half lead and the Aces gutted…
