Jonquel Jones 22
Jonquel Jones scored 23 points to lead the New York Liberty past the Connecticut Sun on Saturday afternoon.
Guardian Sports Reporter
Grand Bahamian Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones and the New York Liberty made their final appearance against the Connecticut Sun count at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut, on Saturday.
The Liberty narrowly edged out Jones’ former team 82-75 to pick up their ninth victory in their last 11 games.
As for Jones, she was the anchor for the Libs on both sides of the ball. She turned in a game-high 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out two assists in 35 minutes of action.
Jones’ numbers made it her third consecutive double-double in the last three games.
She said it felt extra special to get the victory against the team she previously spent six seasons with, and she also spoke about their impending move to Houston for next season.
“Clearly, a lot of memories here, a lot of great people, the place where I started my career — sad to see the Sun go, but excited to really see what things will turn into, and it’ll be my first time to be able to visit Houston and all of that stuff next year, but just one of those franchise that for me has a special place in my heart,” she said at the postgame press conference.
“It felt good to get a win tonight, to come into an atmosphere that can be tricky at times and sometimes hard to win in, and I think we did a really good job of weathering their runs and some of the things that they were doing and being able to come out on top.”
Following the victory against the Sun, Jones and the Liberty have improved to a 22-14 win-loss record in the WNBA.
The 2024 WNBA Finals MVP and her team have been on a tear since the start of August.
The Grand Bahamian is averaging 16.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from deep in seven games played in August.
During that stretch, she has also picked up four double-doubles, and New York has won six of its seven outings.
For the season, she has contributed 14.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while knocking down 51.2 percent of her field goals and 38.4 percent of her threes.
Her points-per-game and rebounding numbers this season are the highest they have been since her MVP season with the Connecticut Sun in 2021.
Jones and the Liberty seem to be building cohesion and continuity with the 2026 WNBA playoffs set to begin on September 27.
Next up on the team’s schedule will be the Chicago Sky on Tuesday at 9 p.m. The game will be played at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.