Head coach Rachid Meziane of the Connecticut Sun reacts during the first quarter of the season opener against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) shoots over New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Brittney Griner #42 of the Connecticut Sun reacts during the first quarter of the season opener against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Aneesah Morrow #24 of the Connecticut Sun reaches for the ball against Betnijah Laney-Hamilton #44 of the New York Liberty during the first quarter of the season opener at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty reacts during the first quarter of the season opener against the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Brittney Griner #42 of the Connecticut Sun reacts during the first quarter of the season opener against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Rebekah Gardner #7 of the New York Liberty shoots the ball against Saniya Rivers #22 of the Connecticut Sun during the second quarter of the season opener at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Rebekah Gardner #7 of the New York Liberty shoots the ball against Saniya Rivers #22 of the Connecticut Sun during the second quarter of the season opener at Barclays Center on May 08, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Ishika Samant/Getty Images
Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane looks on during a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane looks on during a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
New York Liberty guard-forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) passes the ball in front of Connecticut Sun guard Gianna Kneepkens (5) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun guard Hailey Van Lith (2) controls the ball past New York Liberty guard Pauline Astier (18) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu reacts with teammates during a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) looks to pass around Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane directs his team during a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu reacts on the bench with teammates during a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
New York Liberty guard-forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) leads her team onto the court during a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) drives during a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) shoots over New York Liberty center Han Xu (21) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (4) drives past New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun guard Gianna Kneepkens (5) drives past New York Liberty guard Marine Johannès (23) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) drives past New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) and forward Diamond Miller (1) react after a foul call during a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) drives past New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Adam Hunger/AP
NEW YORK — Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane wanted to see what his team was made of.
After two preseason games and three weeks of training camp against the team’s male practice players, Meziane wanted to know how the Sun would stack up against real competition.
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On Friday, against Eastern Conference rival New York in the regular-season opener, Meziane got his answer – but it wasn’t pretty.
The Liberty didn’t just make quick work of the Sun but extinguished all of its preseason anticipation. Whether it was New York’s 23-point lead 10 minutes in or its 30-point advantage at intermission, Connecticut never had an answer throughout its 106-75 loss in Brooklyn.
Before its utter thrashing of the Sun, the Liberty honored Connecticut at halfcourt before tip-off. New York (1-0) presented Sun president and former UConn women’s basketball great Jen Rizzotti with a special commemorative basketball to recognize the franchise’s final season in the WNBA before its relocation to Houston next season.
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Connecticut (0-1) added a plethora of new faces and new pieces in 2026 to avoid repeating its disaster of a season last year in the team’s first season of its rebuilding era. Last year, the Sun finished with a franchise’s worst win-loss record of 11-33.
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Monday was a start in the opposite direction.
The Sun couldn’t buy a bucket in the first quarter, finishing the period 6-of-20 from the floor. It missed easy, open layups and looked flustered without a true point guard in the starting lineup. With veteran point guard Shey Peddy unavailable due to a left leg injury, Meziane’s point guard depth was down to just two true floor generals in rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker and second-year player Hailey Van Lith.
Meziane started guard Saniya Rivers at PG and her inexperience in the role, (she’s normally a shooting guard), was evident. Connecticut’s offense got stuck often as players passed to Brittney Griner in the lane and watched instead of trying to help.
Leger-Walker and Van Lith rotated in and out for Rivers. Lith, who joined the team Wednesday night after getting picked up on waivers, only had one practice with the Sun before Friday’s game. 2
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Yet, she was one of their biggest bright spots. The former LSU/TCU/Louisville star jumped right in and fit in seamlessly. She was aggressive but stabilized the Sun’s offense enough for everyone to get settled and calm. Van Lith (nine points, four assists) was the first Sun player to make more than one field goal, doing so 13 minutes in.
Diamond Miller (16 points), Aneesah Morrow (15 points, six rebounds) and Griner (13 points, four rebounds, two assists) were Connecticut’s most reliable scorers. Rivers led with six assists.
All three Sun rookies got extended minutes in Friday’s season-opener as Meziane experimented with lineups and emptied his bench early. Former UCLA star Gianna Kneepkens led the rookies with seven points and a team-high five rebounds off the bench. Like Peddy, former Husky Aaliyah Edwards (thigh) was also unavailable due to injury.
The Sun’s defense also left little to be desired. It fell into stagnant, reactive habits instead of anticipating the Liberty’s moves. And as New York’s lead grew, so did the Sun’s frustrations, resulting in sloppy fouls and turnovers.
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While the Sun picked up where it left off in 2025, so did former Husky great Breanna Stewart. The Liberty star was her dominant, unstoppable self. She made her first four buckets from the floor and led with 31 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes.
Fellow former Husky and New York native Aubrey Griffin (two points) made her WNBA debut Friday, checking in for New York in the game’s final five minutes. Griffin was drafted by Minnesota last year but sat out last season recovering from knee surgery. She was waived by the Lynx last Saturday after two weeks of training camp and signed a hardship contract with New York early Friday morning.
Connecticut returns home and will host Seattle in its final home opener on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
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