UNCASVILLE — Sue Bird's latest return to Connecticut was a painful one.
The former UConn star was unable to lift the defending WNBA champion Seattle Storm past the Connecticut Sun before 7,080 at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night. And for good measure, she took an elbow to the face from one of her own teammates late in the game, suffering a broken nose.
The Sun had plenty of answers for Bird and her teammates, avenging a loss in last season's WNBA Finals with an 81-69 victory on Tuesday.
"It's a terrific early-season win," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "We played as well for two-thirds of the game as we can play."
The scary moment for Bird occurred with three minutes left in the game. Seattle's Lauren Jackson was fouled as she attempted a shot in the paint, and on her follow through, she connected with Bird's face, knocking her to the ground. After a couple of minutes, she walked off the court and sat on the bench with her face in a towel. The Storm announced her status is day to day.
Katie Douglas led the Sun (4-1) with 20 points. Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 19 points and another ex-Husky, Nykesha Sales, scored 15.
Bird finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Jackson scored a game-high 20 points for the Storm (4-2).
"This is a lot about us and what we need to do as a team," said guard Lindsay Whalen, who had nine points and eight assists for the Sun. "Revenge? We're going to play them again this year and we don't know what'll happen after that. This was about us."
The Sun broke the game open early in the second half. Leading 52-44, they scored 11 straight points, including a 3-pointer by Brooke Wyckoff and a 12-foot jumper by Sales. It gave them a 19-point advantage, their largest of the game.
Bird helped bring the Storm as close as 10, but the Sun were never threatened late.
"They played the game well," Storm coach Anne Donovan said. "They got out in transition and that's why they shot the ball so well (53 percent, including 63 percent in a 50-point first half)."
