Jonquel Jones Makes Strong Return in Liberty’s Victory

Jonquel Jones initially struggled in her return to the court.

She started off only making 7 of her first attempts. A careless foul and her defense weren’t up to her usual standards only added to the frustration.

But it was clearly just a case of getting back into the groove. Jones turned things around significantly in the second half, playing a crucial role in the Liberty’s 98-84 win against the Fever at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

She dominated in the paint, snagging rebounds effortlessly and using her size to affect shots taken by opponents.

Jones led the team with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. A key three-pointer from her, with just over six minutes left in the game, boosted Liberty’s lead to nine points.

Her return was long awaited, having missed over a month due to injury issues with her right ankle. It was clear how much she had missed being on the court.

The Liberty boasts two All-Stars, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, while Natasha Cloud was involved in this week’s events as well.

As a consistent All-Star, Jones would have undoubtedly made the team again this year, had injuries not sidelined her for so long.

Interestingly, it was one of the less prominent players, Leonie Fiebich, who stepped up significantly alongside Jones after the All-Star break.

Liberty’s key players had an off start, looking somewhat lackluster, but Fiebich provided a much-needed spark during critical moments.

Every time it seemed the Fever might make a comeback—there were quite a few situations like that—Fiebich would hit a clutch shot, helping the team to pull ahead.

She wrapped up the night with 17 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and impressively nailing both of her three-point attempts.

Late in the third quarter, the Liberty found themselves in a tight spot, trailing 67-60. However, they closed out that quarter with a 9-0 run, taking a two-point lead into the fourth. They quickly extended that lead with four points to start the final period. Fiebich was instrumental, hitting three-pointers during that third quarter rally.

Finally, Jones and the other stars found their rhythm, with Stewart stepping up after a slow beginning to score 11 points in the second half, finishing with 17 points overall on 11-of-6 shooting, along with three steals.

Ionescu also played a pivotal role, exploding in the fourth quarter with 10 straight points, helping the lead swell to 13.

Despite her earlier struggles with shooting, she found her stride when it mattered.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 29 points, but her performance fell quiet towards the end of the game.

The Liberty did struggle with 19 turnovers throughout the game, which could have been avoided with better ball handling. Unforced errors from poor passing were evident.

Yet, for a team with such depth as defending champions, a few missteps can be tolerated.

It appears that their nearly complete roster is back together, and that’s certainly a promising sign moving forward.