Rebecca Allen continues to be a difference-maker for the Connecticut Sun in the 2023 WNBA playoffs.

The 30-year-old guard from Australia missed Friday’s Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals due to illness, but she returned with a bang for the Sun to start Sunday’s Game 4 against the New York Liberty. With a 3-pointer late in the first quarter, she put her team up five points, though the Liberty battled back to take a 45-44 lead into the halftime break.

While Allen started 13 games for Sun in 2023 regular season, she played in all 40, and she moved into the starting lineup in the second half of the season. She had started every playoff game before Game 3 of the semifinals.

Allen averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in regular season, but she had averaged 10.2 points and 6.4 rebonds in the playoffs heading into Sunday’s Game 4. She contributed 18 points and 7 rebounds in Game 1 of the semifinals, a 78-63 win for Connecticut at New York’s Barclays Center, though the Liberty won the next two games in the best-of-five series.

For the first seven seasons of Allen’s career, she played with the Liberty, but she was traded to the Sun in the offseason as part of the trade that sent 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones to New York.

Rebecca Allen has re-signed with the New York Liberty on a multi-year deal, the team announced Friday.

Allen’s contract, as first reported by Just Women’s Sports, is a protected two-year deal worth $141,000 in the first year and $136,850 in the second, according to The Next. The Liberty previously waived guard Jazmine Jones and forward Leaonna Odom to make room for Allen’s deal.

The 6-foot-2 Australian guard is coming off of the best season of her career with the Liberty. Allen averaged 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line in 25 games to help New York advance to the WNBA playoffs for the first time in four years.

In addition to her increasing offensive production, Allen provides length and the ability to stretch defenses with her shot. Having played in 133 games (and started 21) across six seasons with the Liberty, Allen also brings crucial experience to a youth-heavy roster featuring Sabrina Ionescu, Michaela Onyenwere and Betnijah Laney.

Stefanie Dolson, officially introduced this week after signing with the Liberty in free agency, adds another veteran presence and brings championship pedigree to New York. Dolson won both a gold medal in 3×3 basketball at the Tokyo Olympics and a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky last year.

Allen will join fellow Aussie and newly named Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, who was hired in January after parting ways with the Phoenix Mercury. Allen is also a member of the Australian women’s national team, which is coached by Brondello.

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.