The Connecticut Sun had two first round picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft which they used on LSU’s Aneesah Morrow at No. 7 and NC State’s Saniya Rivers at No. 8. Saniya Rivers did not play in the Sun’s season opener against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, but she made her WNBA debut against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.

It didn’t take long for Saniya Rivers to score her first WNBA points in her debut, and it wasn’t at all surprising the way she got those points. Rivers’ first career points came early in the second quarter, and they came after she notched a steal, poking the ball away from Chelsea Gray and going coast-to-coast for the layup. Rivers was one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, and it appears as if she’s already making her mark on that end.

Rivers was ruled out for the team’s opener, a 90-85 loss to the Mystics. She had been away from the team while dealing with the tragic death of her mother.

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The Sun dropped to 0-2, however, following the 87-62 loss to the Aces. In her WNBA debut, Rivers finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in a little over 25 minutes off the bench. She shot 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from the field, 1-of-2 from the three-point line and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free0-throw line. Coming into the draft, one of the potential knocks on Rivers’ game was her shooting, but knocking down 50 percent of her three-point attempts is encouraging, albeit an incredibly small sample size.

Rivers declared for the WNBA Draft following three seasons at NC State. She originally began her college career at South Carolina, winning a national championship in the process in 2021-22. She transferred to NC State after her freshman year.

Rivers is one of four rookies the Sun will eventually have on their roster this season. In addition to Rivers and Morrow, last season’s first round draft pick Leïla Lacan is expected to join the team following overseas commitments. Undrafted rookie free agent Kariata Diaby made the team out of training camp. Morrow has yet to make her WNBA debut as she’s dealing with a knee injury.