JONQUEL JONES (AP)
As of Thursday, September 22, 2022
#By RENALDO DORSETT
#Tribune Sports Reporter
#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
#Just days after her WNBA season came to an end, Jonquel Jones returns to international play with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
#Jones and her side are among the top 12 women’s national teams in the world, competing at the tournament September 22 to October 1 in Sydney, Australia.
#BIH will play in Group A that also includes Belgium, China, Puerto Rico, Korea, and USA. They open competition against Puerto Rico today at 2:30pm, followed by a Friday matchup against China, Saturday against Korea, Monday against Belgium and Tuesday against the United States.
#At the end of the Group Phase, the top four teams of each group will advance to the Final Phase.
#A draw will determine the pairings of the Quarter-Finals.
#The two best-ranked teams of each group (group A and group B) will be drawn against the two teams ranked third and fourth of the other group.
#The USA has won the World Cup 10 times, followed by the Soviet Union with five while Brazil and Australia have each won once.
#Jones delivered a series of spectacular performances en route to leading BIH to World Cup 2022 qualification. Jones led BIH to a 1-1 record and was named TISSOT MVP and a member of the All- Tournament team at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament last February in Osaka, Japan.
#She averaged 25.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.
#In game one, she finished with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 96-64 loss to Canada.
#In the tournament clincher, she finished with 36 points and 23 rebounds in an 87-82 win over the host country. She shot 14-24 from the field, 2-6 from three-point range and also added four assists in 39 minutes.
#Jones continues to lead BIH to a series of milestones for their national team programme. She led the team to an historic fith-place finish at Women’s EuroBasket 2021 and continued that dominance at the Eurobasket 2023 Qualifiers last November.
#She finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds in an 80 -64 win over North Macedonia and a career high 44 points and 22 rebounds in her team’s 87-81 win over Belgium. BIH enters the World Cup ranked at no. 26. The 2022 season ended on a disappointing note for Jonquel Jones and her Connecticut Sun last Sunday when they were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces 78-71 in game four of the WNBA Finals.
#Jones had a 2022 season to remember following her 2021 MVP campaign. She was named to the All-WNBA Second Team, the All Defensive Second Team, and received her fourth WNBA All-Star selection, voted a starter for a third time.
#Jones led the Sun in points (14.6), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.2) per game. Jones hit a plethora of career milestones this season, moving into first all-time in blocks (270), third all-time in rebounds (1,633) and sixth all-time in points (2,657) in Connecticut Sun franchise history.
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