Uncasville, CT – Tina Charles posted 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun took a 76-64 victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kara Lawson had 16 points, Tan White added 13 and Asjha Jones scored 11 points for the Sun, who are back in the Conference Finals for the first time since 2006 after sweeping New York in the semifinals.
Katie Douglas posted a game-high 27 points while Erlana Larkins added nine points and eight rebounds for the Fever, who defeated Atlanta in three games in the semifinals to reach the Conference Finals for the second straight year.
Indiana scored the first five points of the game and that helped them take a 22-14 lead into the second quarter, but the Sun played tight defense in the second and outscored the Fever, 16-8, to have the game knotted at 30 at the break.
The Sun used a 10-3 run in the third to take a lead they would never lose as the team took a 52-43 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Connecticut's lead ballooned to as much as 16 in the final quarter as the team took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three set.
Game 2 will be played on Monday at Indiana.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.