The San Antonio Stars take their second shot at their first two-game winning streak of the season Sunday.
But the task won't be an easy one as the Stars open a two-game trip against the sizzling Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
"Getting our first road win of the season was amazing," Stars coach Vickie Johnson said after her team improved to 2-16 with a 79-72 victory at Indiana on Tuesday night. "We worked so hard in practice, so I'm glad it carried over to the game. These past few days were very important for us with the work we put in and it showed today."
The Stars scored their first win of the season on June 30, but the first attempt at a two-game winning streak was snuffed out in an 89-56 blowout loss at home -- to the Sun, who have turned around a slow start and now lead the Eastern Conference.
The Sun (11-8) are coming off a two-game western swing that started with a win in Seattle but ended, along with Connecticut's five-game winning streak, in an 87-77 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Courtney Williams scored 17 points, Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Jasmine Thomas collected 10 points and eight assists, and Jonquel Jones had eight points and eight rebounds in the second meeting with San Antonio.
That game was in San Antonio. The first time the teams met, in Connecticut on June 3, it was a much-closer 85-77 win for the Sun.
The Sun, who were supposed to be in a rebuilding year after losing Chiney Ogwumike for the year before the season started, lost their first four and five of their first six, but are 10-3 since thanks to a pair of five-game winning streaks.
"I think the big thing for us is the ball isn't sticking," Sun coach Curt Miller recently told WNBA.com. "We're moving the ball, sharing the ball from side to side. Getting into second and third options."
The Sun have two All-Star starters in Jones and Jasmine Thomas, both making their first All-Star appearances, and have had a WNBA-record and still-active four straight Eastern Conference players of the week -- Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas and Alyssa Thomas again.
Jasmine Thomas took to Twitter to thank the fans for voting for her All-Star spot.
"Excited to be an All-Star starter!! Grateful to be on a team that allows me to be ME & to be surrounded by the greatest teammates ever," she tweeted.
Shekinna Stricklen, who had a season-high seven 3-pointers for all 21 of her points in the win at Seattle, scored only four points in the 10-point loss at Los Angeles. Morgan Tuck, playing her first serious minutes since missing 11 games with a knee contusion, had seven points, two rebounds and two assists in the loss.
Kayla McBride led the Stars in the win at Indiana with 18 points, going 12 of 13 from the foul line. Erika de Souza went 7-for-7 from the floor in a season-high 14 points, while Dearica Hamby had 13, and rookie Kelsey Plum added 12 points and six rebounds.
