The Connecticut Sun's season is over and it ended at the furthest point it could go – Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
The Sun lost to the Washington Mystics Thursday, 89-78.
A sports bar called Game On inside Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, the home of the Sun, hosted a watch party for fans. The fans were glued to massive television screens, hoping for a Sun win.
But that didn’t happen and Joey Bacon, 22, of Ledyard was left shrugging his shoulders as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"They work so hard all season and then, to get to that point in Game 5," Bacon said. "They got so much energy in them for their fans back home, they want to bring that title back home. They just don’t have enough to beat such a juggernaut in the Mystics."
Waterford’s Judy Socha watched the game in a booth, flanked by her daughter and granddaughter.
“I was hoping that the three of us could be cheering and jumping up and down,” Socha said.
The three generations of Sun fans hoped the players they love could pull out a title win. But, it wasn’t to be.
“They’re very family—I’m going to cry—they’re very close, orientated people and I know they are going to beat themselves up that they wish they had [won the title] but they shouldn’t do that because they you know what? They went this far,” Socha said. “So, they should be proud that they got this far.”
This series marked the Sun’s third appearance in the WNBA Finals. Connecticut has yet to win a league title.
Before the Mystics were able to pull away and win their first-ever WNBA title, the Sun actually led by nine in the third quarter. But, Connecticut fell behind as top scorer Jonquel Jones (25 points) struggled to stay on the court after she picked up her fourth foul.
“We played good up until the beginning of the fourth quarter and then we just lost it,” said Debbie Herchen of West Warwick, RI. “[The Mystics] played a little better and the best team won.”
Washington outscored Connecticut 27-14 in the final quarter of play.
Herchen was still shocked when interviewed, saying she was “heartbroken.” But there’s a silver lining for her. Herchen just bought season tickets.
“There’s always next year,” Herchen said.
Copyright 2019 Connecticut Public Radio
