Liberty’s Jonquel Jones Leaves Game with Injury

In a recent matchup, Jonquel Jones, the center for the Liberty, exited the game against the Chicago Sky, which ended in a 93-86 loss, due to a left ankle injury.

It seems she sensed the injury immediately after hitting the ground. Jones instinctively drew her left leg in and grasped her ankle, visibly in pain. She required assistance getting back on her feet and limped off the court with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter, heading straight to the locker room.

The initial prognosis from the team suggested that it was “doubtful” she would return for the second quarter. However, after halftime, Jones was still absent from the floor, and soon a representative confirmed that she would not return to the game.

Coach Chris DeMarco didn’t have an immediate update on her condition after the game, stating, “She will be evaluated within the next few days.”

This season has been tough for the Liberty, riddled with injuries. In fact, they have only managed to play complete games on two occasions.

New York has been without Satou Sabally since late June and Leoni Fievic since early July. Although Sabrina Ionescu and Marine Johannes were healthy enough to play on Tuesday, both had missed games earlier this season due to injuries.

Brianna Stewart shared her thoughts on the situation, saying, “It’s tough. Obviously, we hope J.J. comes back soon. But honestly, I think Han (Xu) rose to the challenge pretty well. As a team, we’ve faced this many times and need to improve our responses. When someone goes down, our mentality must shift to be even better and step up.”

Despite the loss, Stewart did achieve a personal milestone. Going into the game with just 14 points needed to hit the 3,000-point mark, she finished with 22 points, making her the fastest player in WNBA history to score 3,000 points with a single franchise. She reached this achievement in just 145 games, surpassing Arike Ogunbowale of the Wings, who did so in 150 games.

Stewart, reflecting on the game, said, “It was definitely tough losing, but I really enjoyed playing in New York and representing Liberty. I wanted to achieve these things alongside (Ionescu) and J.J. and all my teammates. So, it’s great, but it would have been even cooler if we had won.”