– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — While the physical pain and mental anguish that accompanied Jonquel Jones’ month-long absence from the team was frustrating at the very least for the former WNBA MVP, she was able to do what most people in life decide upon when trying get their minds away from the everyday struggle: travel to the Bahamas for a little R & R and family time.
Not that it was all fun and games for the native Bahamian down in the West Indies, but her return to the Liberty lineup tonight looked for all the world that she was a recharged woman as the Liberty took another step closer to becoming whole again as the business end of the season got underway.
Jones scored 18 points in her first game back since June 19, leading the Liberty to a 98-84 come-from-behind win over the Indiana Fever, playing without Caitlin Clark for a third consecutive game, inside Barclays Center on Tuesday evening. All five starters scored at least 10 points for New York, who won their fourth straight.
The last time Jones was on the floor at Barclays, she was being helped off to the locker room just two minutes into the game after suffering a sprained ankle in a loss to the Phoenix Mercury. The missed time was spent rehabbing, thought some of it also included a trip back to the Bahamas during All-Star Weekend. The home cooking might have been part of the reason that Jones scored 13 of her points in second half when the Liberty pulled away.
The Fever turned a seven-point first quarter deficit into an eight-point lead a minute before the half, with Kelsey Mitchell’s three giving Indiana a 46-38 lead. Jones, Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich each scored eight points in the third quarter, allowing the Liberty to enter the fourth with a slim 69-67 lead.
Another one of Ne York’s starters, Sabrina Ionescu, then caught fire in the fourth to give the Liberty some separation, as she scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting (including making two of her three 3-point attempts) while also dishing out four asssists.
New York made 60 percent of its shots from the field (9-of-15) while holding the Fever to just 33 percent from the floor during the frame (6-of-18).
Mitchell led all scorers with 29 points for Indiana, who have now lost two straight — both in Brooklyn to the Liberty — after a three-game winning streak. Aliyah Boston had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists before fouling out late in the fourth.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with photos taken by staff photographer Chris Gonzalez. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 25 pictures in total.
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