The Connecticut Sun beat the Chicago Sky in historic fashion Thursday night to advance to the WNBA Finals.

Before the Sun start their series Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, Just Women’s Sports dives into the numbers behind Connecticut’s Game 5 victory. 

3

With the 72-63 win, Connecticut became just the third team in WNBA history to oust a team from the playoffs after being swept by that team in the regular season.

The Sky not only beat the Sun in the 2021 WNBA semifinals but also went 4-0 against them in the 2022 regular season.

5

Chicago scored just five points in the final frame, the fewest in the fourth quarter during a winner-take-all game in WNBA history.

The five points were also the second-fewest in a fourth quarter in any playoff game.

15

Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner led the Sun with 15 points apiece. All five of Connecticut’s starters hit double figures. 

18

The Connecticut Sun went on an 18-0 run to end the game, the longest such run to close out a game in WNBA playoff history. 

23

In total, Connecticut committed 23 turnovers – the most by a team in a WNBA playoff win. Eight of those turnovers happened in the third quarter, which coincidentally matched the number of points the Sun scored in that frame.

36

The Sun enter the finals as the team with the most playoff victories without a title at 36. This marks their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2019, when they lost to the Washington Mystics in five games.

WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne is returning to the court, with USA Basketball announcing on Monday that the two-time league MVP will join the 3×3 Women's National Team as its first-ever managing director.

The 36-year-old officially retired in April 2025 after struggling with injuries, capping a career that spanned winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 FIBA World Cup with Team USA as well as two WNBA championships.

"Elena has been a member of the USA Basketball family for almost 15 years," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in Monday's press release. "Her wealth of knowledge of the sport of basketball and our organization will be an asset as we continue our journey."

As part of her duties, Delle Donne will be responsible for selecting the USA Basketball 3x3 team's coaching staff and players prior to the 2028 LA Olympics, the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and other major international competitions.

"USA Basketball was an important part of my on-court career for a decade and a half. To have the opportunity to continue my journey with the organization, and to help shape and grow the 3x3 program, is something that I take very seriously," Delle Donne said. "I'm excited to get started."

Delle Donne's new position is the 3x3 version of fellow WNBA icon Sue Bird's role, as the newly minted Hall of Famer became the managing director of the USA Basketball women's 5x5 arm in May.

"To now think that I'm going to be on the other side of the phone letting someone know that their dream has come true and they've made the team is going to be such a fulfilling, full circle moment for me," Delle Donne said.

Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the pitch during an NWSL match against the Seattle Reign on Sunday, with the late first-half medical event causing the teams to postpone the remainder of the game.

Cameras quickly cut away as trainers and medical personnel rushed to DeMelo's side and players cleared the field for an early halftime, with both sides soon announcing they were abandoning the then-scoreless match as an ambulance took DeMelo to a local hospital.

Racing later notified fans via social media that DeMelo was "stable and alert," while several reporters noted that the 27-year-old recently received a diagnosis of Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism — conditions that can cause an irregular or rapid heartbeat.

"I'm lucky to have my family with me while I'm waiting for test results to come back," DeMelo said in a club statement late Monday. "I'm extremely thankful to our whole medical staff for the quick response. They've been with me every step of the way."

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NWSL decision to postpone play addresses past criticisms

DeMelo's situation is the second major medical event this NWSL season, following the mid-match collapse of Angel City defender Savy King in May.

At that time, the NWSL opted to continue play after an ambulance transported King off the pitch — a decision that the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) heavily criticized.

In the aftermath of that match, league commissioner Jessica Berman promised that games would not continue in any similar future situations — a shift reflected in the halting of Sunday's clash.

"Postponing the match was the right decision, as nothing is more important than the safety of players and staff on the field," the NWSLPA wrote on Monday. "This is a challenging time for all those affected, and we ask for continued respect of everyone's privacy."

"We recognize the concern this incident may cause, particularly in light of recent conversations around player safety," the league said in a statement. "The NWSL remains committed to ensuring that the highest standards of medical care and emergency response are in place at every match."

Beginning with second-half play, the conclusion of the currently 0-0 match between Racing Louisville and the Seattle Reign will be played without fans at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, though the game will be available to stream live on Paramount+ and NWSL+.

Paige Bueckers is the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced early Tuesday, as the Dallas Wings guard becomes the fifth consecutive No. 1 draft pick to win the award.

Bueckers is the first Wings player to earn the honor since Allisha Gray in 2017, finishing the 2025 season averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and shooting 47.4% from the field.

The 23-year-old was the only player this season to finish in the Top 10 league-wide in points, assists, and steals per game — all while becoming the fastest rookie in WNBA history to notch 500 points and 100 assists.

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While the conversation around the Class of 2025 included several high performers, the Rookie of the Year vote proved to be near unanimous, with Bueckers receiving 70 of the sports media panel's 72 votes.

The remaining two votes went to Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron.

While the race tightened as Citron heated up mid-season, Bueckers's August 20th rookie-record 44-point performance against the LA Sparks likely shut the door to any challengers.

"I know that we continue to do things the right way, we continue to believe in each other, continue to invest our whole lives into this basketball thing, the results will come," Bueckers told reporters after Dallas ended the season with a 10-34 record — securing the highest odds for next year's No. 1 draft pick.

Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is in the books, with the top two seeds putting up more than 100 points each in blowout wins when the postseason tipped off on Sunday.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx opened the playoffs' eight-team first round with a 101-72 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, as MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier led scoring with 20 points while guard Natisha Hiedeman added 18 off the bench.

Elsewhere, the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 102-77 victory over the No. 7 Seattle Storm capped Sunday's slate, with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leading the way with 29 points alongside double-digit performances off the bench from guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

The lower seeds walked away less unscathed, as Valkyries boss and Coach of the Year favorite Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul for arguing a call in the game's second half.

"I want a fair fight, I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out," she said afterwards, criticizing Sunday's officiating. "They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair."

"I understand it, but it's the playoffs," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in response. "Obviously, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn't think that was a factor in the game."

How to watch the top seeds in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

Both Minnesota and Las Vegas are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals.

The No. 2 Aces will look to sweep the No. 7 Storm at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Then on Wednesday, the No. 1 Lynx will try to silence the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET, with live coverage also on ESPN.