Saniya

Rivers

Howard was quite efficient on a less multitudinous shot diet. On Wednesday night she made shots at all three levels, mostly from behind the arc and in the mid-range. She became the fifth player in league history to hit 100 three-pointers in a single season, and she became the first in Dream franchise history to reach 100 threes. In addition to her shot making, Howard contributed four assists where she found Allisha Gray and Maya Caldwell in the corner pockets for three-pointers in addition to Te-Hina Paopao cutting to the basket. Howard finished the game with four stocks (one block and three steals) which included blocking one of Saniya Rivers’ three-point attempts from the perimeter right as the buzzer beat for halftime.

Rivers capped off her rookie season scoring at all three levels. She began the evening with a three-pointer in the second quarter and then scored most of her points in the third quarter. She got to the rim on drives while blowing past Dream defenders Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. She came off screens and hit a couple of mid-range jumpers. Rivers led the Sun in assists alongside teammate Marina Mabrey as the pair each had five a piece. Rivers found Mabrey cutting off the ball in addition to Tina Charles for a couple of jump shots. Also, Rivers set up Aneesah Morrow for a wide open drive right to the basket. Rivers finished her rookie campaign with 100 total stocks, a statistic which combines steals and blocks. She’s the only rookie to reach that number this season and the only other players who have done so in 2025 are WNBA all-defensive caliber players in A’ja Wilson, Gabby Williams, Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith and Ezi Magbegor.

Mabrey finished her 2025 season with her second most efficient shooting performance of the year. She shot 53.3 percent from the field, her highest percentage since May 30 when she shot 58.8 percent from the field against the Fever. Mabrey scored 20 points in the Sun’s season finale, and it was the ninth time of the season Mabrey scored at least 20 points during a game. She struck a balance between scoring the basketball off the ball and then creating offense on the ball. Half of her made shots came on assists and the other four did not. Mabrey facilitated the basketball well also, tying Saniya Rivers for the most assists by a Sun player on Wednesday. She passed the ball to four different teammates including Rivers, Tina Charles, Aaliyah Edwards and Aneesah Morrow.

With Leila Lacan out (personal reasons), Rivers earned her 24th start of the season and finished as the Sun’s scoring leader on Monday. The rookie guard produced a pair of three-pointers to break Connecticut’s single-season record for threes made by a rookie. She also offered her usual defensive versatility and contributed a couple of assists along the way, ending with a solid performance. Rivers and the Sun will face the Dream again on Wednesday in Connecticut’s season finale.

Lacan has been added to Connecticut’s injury list and did not make the trip for the team’s final road game of the season. With Bria Hartley (knee) done for the season, this may be an opportunity for the Sun to give rookie Saniya Rivers a start after playing 30 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win over the Mercury.

Copper wasn’t efficient scoring the basketball on Saturday afternoon but she scored in bunches, something her team struggled to do against the Sun. She scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half mostly on drives down the lane instead of settling for perimeter shots. Copper’s speed and rim pressure was too much for solid defenders Saniya Rivers and Aaliiyah Edwards, who tried to interrupt Copper’s drives the best they could. Copper also got to the free throw line four times in that second half.

Mabrey and Tina Charles carried the scoring load like usual for the Sun, but when Charles had trouble scoring the basketball in the third quarter, Mabrey stepped up notching 8 points, an assist and two steals in the third that helped the Sun get back into the game when they were down, including a steal that resulted in a score on the other end. Points were hard to come by in that third quarter for both teams and Mabrey pushed the ball in transition and exploited the Mercury’s weaker defenders in the process. Mabrey also distributed the basketball well for the Sun. She found Charles once in the first half and then made some pivotal passes to Aaliyah Edwards, Saniya Rivers and Charles for scores in the final two quarters while the Sun were down by as many as 7 points.

Rivers set a new career-high in made three-pointers on Wednesday en route to her fifth game with at least 15 points. The rookie was one of Connecticut’s few bright spots on the offensive end and was one of only two Sun players to reach double figures in scoring on the night. She also collected a block and a steal to land some production on the defensive end. Overall, Rivers had a strong outing against the Sky and has played well down the stretch of her first WNBA season.

Hartley, who did not play in Saturday’s loss to the Lynx, has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in her right knee and will miss the rest of the season. She appeared in 38 games this season, making 32 starts, averaging 8.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.4 three-pointers in 22.8 minutes. Lindsay Allen started against Minnesota on Saturday and played 22 minutes, but rookie Saniya Rivers replaced her to begin the third quarter. With an eye toward the franchise’s future, Rivers and fellow rookie Leïla Lacan should play plenty in Connecticut’s remaining games.

Hartley, a fixture in the Sun starting lineup since late June, will miss Saturday’s game with a right knee injury. Saniya Rivers could move into the starting five, meaning the ball would be in the hands of Leïla Lacan more as Connecticut’s primary playmaker. Another possibility would be for Lindsay Allen to play more minutes, but Rivers and Lacan are the safest plays for fantasy managers seeking a streamer.