Same old losing story for Sun

So here the Sun are again, entering a road game with one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams on the verge of seeing their losing ways continue. Last week, Connecticut was able to rebound with a 78-74 win over the Indiana Fever, playing its best basketball (as usual this season) away from Mohegan Sun Arena.

But considering how they’re currently playing – which is perhaps the worst it has all season – it’s hard to imagine they won’t have problems with Detroit tonight. Then again, the Shock usually bring out the best in the Sun, who have lost two close games to their rivals this season. Then again, it’s hard to tell which team will show up wearing Connecticut uniforms each night.

The frustration came to head last night when Sun coach Mike Thibault entered the post-game press conference and announced, “I don’t have much to say, I really don’t so we’ll make this really brief.”

He then spoke for about four minutes, fielding questions and venting about his team’s struggles (naturally) when someone suggested the loss seemed like fate. He replied, “I don’t know. (Pause) I’m done.” He then walked out.

Here are a few more quotes that didn’t make this morning’s edition of the Bulletin but still tell the story of the Sun’s sinking season thus far:

Lindsay Whalen: “All of a sudden, it’s 20 points (Washington is ahead) and they’re making every kind of shot and we’re coming down and I feel like we’re taking good shots but they’re not going in. Then they come right back down and run it down our throats.

“That’s the kind of stuff that we need to be doing. That’s the kind of stuff that got us to the finals two years in a row. That’s the stuff that gives you home-court advantage. It’s intangible stuff like that. It’s going on a run and being confident and playing with a passion.”

Katie Douglas: “Everybody should feel that they should have the right to come in and play hard. But if you come in and you’re not doing your job and you’re not running and executing and you’re lackadaisical on the defensive end, our deficiencies are glaring right now so we have to find somebody who will do it.”

When asked later if the team is starting to doubt if it can rebound from the slow start, Asjha Jones brushed it off, saying there’s a lot of time left. Fourteen games in, the Sun are more than a third of the way through the season (they have 20 games left including tonight’s game at Detroit, set for 7:30 p.m.).

If there is time, the Sun have to start utilizing it or there may be big changes in the near future. Thibault will have to do something to shake it up because the Sun, a winning franchise, most likely won’t stand for things to continue the way they are.

Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates throughout tonight’s game before picking up tomorrow’s issue for the story.