SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 24 (Ticker) -- In a matchup of the top two teams in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun delivered a message.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Sun posted a 61-50 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs.

Connecticut (9-2) had won a franchise-high eight straight before dropping a 95-86 decision at Seattle on Wednesday in the second of four in a row on the road. It used a strong second-half run and some dominant defense in this one to hand Sacramento (8-3) its first home loss in six games.

After Yolanda Griffith's layup early in the second half gave the Monarchs their largest lead at 41-30, McWilliams-Franklin answered to start a 25-4 run for the Sun. Asjha Jones' jumper with 9:09 left gave Connecticut the lead for good, 46-45.

Nykesha Sales added 14 points for the Sun (9-2), who have the league's best record.

DeMya Walker came off the bench to score 16 points but was the only Monarch in double figures. Sacramento made just 10-of-18 free assists and had just four assists against 18 turnovers.

Griffith struggled to six points on 2-of-9 shooting but became the eighth player in WNBA history to reach the 3,000-point plateau.