The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WEDNESDAY was a milestone day for Jonquel Jones and the Connecticut Sun.

Jones was named the WNBAs Eastern Conference Player of the Month and the Sun followed with their most lopsided win of the season as they continue to progress in the Associated Press power rankings.

Jones finished with eight points and eight rebounds in the Sun’s 89-56 rout of the San Antonio Stars at the AT&T Center. It was the third consecutive win for the Sun and their eighth win in the last 10 games. The 33-point win was also tied for the third-largest win in Sun history.

Jones played just over 18 minutes in the contest as the Sun took control early and improved to 9-7 on the season. Connecticut used a 9-1 run to close out the second quarter and took a 40-24 into halftime. Jones’ layup sparked a 12-0 run to open up the third quarter.

Jones’ Player of the Month honour came during a stretch where she helped lead Connecticut to a 6-2 record in June that reversed the course of the season for the club after an 0-4 start.

In June, the 23-year old Grand Bahama native ranked first in the Eastern Conference in rebounds (11.9 rpg) and blocked shots (2.13 bpg) while she placed 11th in scoring with an average of 15.6 points per game. She also earned five double doubles in an eight-game stretch.

In addition to Jones’ accolades, her teammate Alyssa Thomas was also named Eastern Conference player of the week. Jones earned the same award last month for the June 12-18 period.

WNBA All-Star voting concluded yesterday and Jones was one of the contenders for a starting spot in the East as a leading vote-getter with her averages of 15.6 points, a league-leading 12 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in just over 28 minutes per game.

WNBA All-Star Voting 2017, presented by Verizon, opened in early June. The Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 will be played on Saturday (July 22) at KeyArena, home of the Seattle Storm. The game will be broadcast on ABC at 3:30 pm.

All-Star starters will be announced live on ESPN July 11 during the noon edition of Sportscenter. WNBA head coaches will select reserves for both conferences, which will be announced July 18, live on ESPN2.