Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 10, 2022 127 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Bahamian Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones scored in double figures for a fourth straight game, helping to propel the Connecticut Sun to a fourth straight victory in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). They blasted the Indiana Fever, 88-69, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Wednesday night.
Playing in front of their fans, the Sun improved their win/loss record to 10-3 – second-best in the league. The Las Vegas Aces lead the standings with a 10-2 record. The Fever sport a 3-11 record.
The Sun came off their third game in four days, having played those games in three different cities on the west coast.
The reigning WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) had a strong outing on Wednesday, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of play. She was disruptive on the defensive side of the ball, coming away with two steals and two blocks in the victory.
The Grand Bahama native has been on a tear recently, scoring 25, 24 and 20 points in her previous three contests to help the Sun extend a winning streak. For her recent efforts, Jones was named as the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for May 30-June 5, averaging 19.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game. The Sun went 3-1 during that time.
The game with the Fever was close early, tied at 11 with 4:17 left in the first quarter. Jones made her first field goal of the game at the 4:33 mark of that quarter, converting a layup. The Sun began to turn up the intensity, taking a 20-15 lead with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Sun turned it up offensively. They built a 13-point lead with 6:49 left in the second quarter, 34-21. At the half, the Sun led 48-37.
After a 17-16 third quarter advantage, the Sun went into the final period with a convincing lead and easily finished off the Fever, outscoring them 23-16 in the fourth quarter.
The Sun shot 47 percent from the field while the Fever shot 37.5 percent. The Sun were more efficient from deep as well as they shot 29.4 percent from three-point range compared to 14.3 percent for the Fever. The Sun outrebounded their opponents, 41-29.
Jones has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. She is averaging 15.6 points and 8.3 boards per game while playing 26.7 minutes in 13 games this season. She is shooting 55.1 percent from the field. Defensively, Jones is averaging 1.4 blocks per game.
Jones and the Sun return to action, looking for a fifth straight win when they welcome the Chicago Sky to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville tonight. The Sky fell 84-82 to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, ending a three-game winning streak for them. The defending champions Sky are third in the standings percentage-wise, standing at 7-4.
The Sky knocked Jones and the Sun out of the playoffs last year, beating them three games to one in the league semifinals. Tip-off for the Sun and the Sky is set for 7 p.m. tonight.