Sun prepare for final stretch

The Connecticut Sun returned to practice Thursday and after scrimmaging to start the session, they worked primarily on late-game situations thereafter. At one point, Sun coach Mike Thibault put 1:10 on the clock with the “home” team down by seven – which, of course, was pretty much the exact situation the Sun were in during the fourth quarter of their 81-79 loss to Sacramento on Tuesday.

“It’s becoming playoff time and the games are getting tighter and tighter and everyone is fighting for their lives,” Katie Douglas said. “It’s good to just have that kind of practice under your belt.”

Douglas was then asked if the chose of drill was primarily because of the Sun’s loss the other night.

“Coach reiterated that this is the case that we were in against Sacramento and we still had a chance to win it,” she said. “We’ve just got to find a way to get stops and find a way to get quick scores. And you always get better with practice so we’re just finding a way to stay in the game with only a 1 minute, 10 (seconds) to go. Maybe it was ironic that it happened the other night but I think it’s also about preparing for these last couple games.”

Some extra notes from Tuesday’s loss:

* In the last blog entry, it was detailed how Douglas was on the verge of setting several new career-highs. But with her nine-point, two-rebound and two-assist performance, she still needs three total rebounds, four offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds, among other things, to pass her previous career bests.

* Strangely enough, Douglas also had a team-high four turnovers, most of which came on botched pick-and-rolls with Asjha Jones. Usually the pair’s go-to play, the set didn’t quite work against the Monarchs, who read it very well and made of habit of stepping into the passing lane.

* The 21 points Kara Lawson scored on the Sun was the most any bench player has dropped on Connecticut this season.

Stories and blogs to come:

* Check Friday’s Bulletin for a feature on back-up point guard Jamie Carey.

* Check back here Friday for an update on playoff scenarios around the WNBA.

* Check Saturday’s Bulletin for an advance story on the Sun’s game with the Chicago Sky.