Home|Sports|Jones, Liberty keep rollingSports
Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 7, 2023 36 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
After a rocky start to their season, Bahamian Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones and the New York Liberty have picked up steam and are still rolling as they recorded their seventh straight win on Tuesday, holding off a feisty Dallas Wings team, 94-93, at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Jones came away with seven points, eight rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes on the floor.
The night was a historic one for Jones’ teammate Breanna Stewart as she set a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) single season record for most points with 861. She reached that milestone with her 15th point of the night, and finished with 40 points and 10 rebounds. She finished the game with 885 total points in 38 games on the season. There are still two games remaining. Diana Taurasi set the mark of 860 points back in 2006 in 34 games. Stewart’s numbers also gave her the most games with 40 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in a single season at three.
The win was the Liberty’s seventh straight and ninth in their last 10 tries as they look to end the season strong. They have a 31-7 win/loss record, and pulled to within one game of the league-leading Las Vegas Aces (32-6). This was Liberty’s final road game. They finished with a 17-3 road record, recording the best road record in the league.
Jones finished the night shooting 3-for-7 from the field, 42.9 percent. She had five defensive boards and three offensive boards for her eight rebounds. The Grand Bahama native also had two blocked shots.
It was a tough game for the Liberty as the Wings put up a fight, but in the end, they fell short to a battle-tested team. The Wings went up 92-91 with 2:04 left in the game. Both teams were unable to score a point until Stewart sunk two free throws to put the Liberty up 93-92 with just over a minute remaining in the game.
Teaira McCowan split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 93 at the 59-second mark of the fourth quarter. Stewart was fouled with 42 seconds remaining in the game and stepped up and split a pair of free throws to give the Liberty a 94-93 edge. Both teams tried scoring down the stretch but did not find the bottom of the net as time expired and Liberty held on to the slim lead to win again.
Satou Sabally led the Wings with 27 points.
The Bahamian made most of her impact in the first half, coming away with four points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
It was a competitive game as it had 16 lead changes, 19 ties and both teams’ biggest lead was just eight points.
Jones’ offense was active last month but she slowed down at the end of the month heading into September. This season, she is averaging 11.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She is shooting 52.4 percent from the field and has 1.3 blocked shots per game. She is shooting a career high 85.9 percent from the charity stripe. Her numbers took a dip this season.
The Liberty will return to action tonight when they take on the Los Angeles Sparks at home at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. That game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be the first of a two-game homestand for the Liberty. It is a key game for the ninth-seeded Sparks as they are battling for a playoff spot with the Chicago Sky.