Although the Connecticut Sun were unable to seal the deal against the Indiana Fever on Saturday, and record their first win of the 2017-18 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) season, Grand Bahama native Jonquel Jones turned in another solid performance in what was just her second game as a starter.
Jones put up 19 points and 12 rebounds, and handed out four assists, in an 81-79 loss to the Fever. The Sun led for almost the entire second half by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but the Fever charged back behind the support of their home crowd and eventually pulled off the win.
"You have to give Indiana's veteran crew credit," said Sun Head Coach Curt Miller. "They got to the foul line late. They got to the basket late when we were trying to shoot jump shots late. We had a chance to extend our lead early in that fourth quarter and we let them hang around. That's what happens in this league. So many games come down to the final stretch and they played better."
The Sun looked to be in complete control after Jones connected on a three-point play that gave Connecticut a 60-49 lead with 59 seconds left in the third quarter. However, the Fever stormed back late in the game. They went on a 13-7 run in the final minute of the game to pull off the close win.
Shenise Johnson gave the Fever their first lead of the game, 74-72, with 46 seconds left. Candice Dupree led the Fever with 19 points and six rebounds, and Erlana Larkins added 12 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Despite the fact that the Sun dropped their second consecutive game, Jones was a bright spot. It was her second double-digit rebounding game as a starter, and after struggling from the field, going 3-for-11 in their first game, she was efficient from the field on Saturday, shooting 7-for-11.
Jones is averaging 13.5 points and 16 rebounds through two games this season. Jones looks a lot more aggressive in the paint than she was last year. She credits this new physical style of play to her time with the Woori Bank Hansae Wibee of the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) in South Korea.
"It was super physical in Korea," said Jones. "The referees, in terms of foreign players, don't call much for us. You have to get used to getting hit."
Despite the physical nature of the league, Jones still averaged 15.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in South Korea and was named the league's most valuable player (MVP).

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