FILE - New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones tries to hold onto the ball under pressure from Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd, left, and forward Nneka Ogwumike, right, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Aug. 30, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Jonquel Jones returns to the Liberty lineup, leads team scoring in win over Fever
NEW YORK (AP) — During the Liberty’s lineup announcement Tuesday night, one name brought the Barclays Center crowd to its feet: Jonquel Jones. She held up a heart to the crowd.
FILE - New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones tries to hold onto the ball under pressure from Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd, left, and forward Nneka Ogwumike, right, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Aug. 30, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — During the Liberty’s lineup announcement Tuesday night, one name brought the Barclays Center crowd to its feet: Jonquel Jones. She held up a heart to the crowd.
In the words of head coach Sandy Brondello — “It’s a happy day. JJ’s back.â€
The Liberty star center officially returned to the court in on Tuesday night. Jones, last season’s WNBA Finals MVP, was playing for the first time since June 19 with an ankle injury and scored a team-high 18 points.
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“It felt great to be back out there,†Jones said after the game. “Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve been on the court, but my teammates have held it down while I was out, and everybody was excited for me to be back in. And I was just as excited.â€
Jones, the Liberty’s third-highest scorer, has averaged 12.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season, while shooting 43.8 percent from behind the arc. New York struggled in her absence, going 5-4 after starting out the season 9-0. They are undefeated with Jones on the court.
It’s been a touch-and-go season for Jones so far. She’d been limited to just 10 games this season, initially injuring her ankle in early June and taking a brief absence before returning and aggravating the injury.
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