The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

GRAND BAHAMIAN native Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty continue to remain atop the Eastern Conference with a now 20-6 win/loss record. The team’s latest win came against the ninth-overall Los Angeles Sparks.

Jones’ team earned their second straight win against the Sparks after defeating them in last Sunday’s matchup 87-79 and closing them out 76-69 at the Crypto.com Arena.

After having their dominant four-game win streak snapped by the Minnesota Lynx, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Jones and her team have gotten back to their winning ways.

In their most recent win, the Sparks kept up with the New York team, leading up to the halfway mark of the game. The former WNBA MVP’s team led by two points (34-32) as they prepared for the third quarter.

In the third period, the Sparks outscored the leading Eastern Conference team by a mere two points, beating them 20-18 in the quarter. However, the difference came in the fourth quarter of both teams’ second meeting in less than one week where the Liberty took control.

The 9-17 Sparks got edged out 26-15 in the final period of the game.

Jones, who has been on a tear as of late, played 29 minutes in the game to amass nine points and eight rebounds. The Bahamian forward remained flawless at the free throw line, going 5-for-5 at the charity stripe shooting an efficient 100% clip. The previous game against the Sparks saw Jones put up a 13 points and 13 rebound double double with 10 of the total boards being grabbed down on the defensive end for the Liberty.

Following Jones’ Eastern Conference Player of the Week honours after some brilliant individual and team performances, All-Star forward Breanna Stewart was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month. During the month of July, Jones’ teammate served up 24.5 points-per game (ppg), 8.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Additionally, while scoring almost 25 ppg, she shot 45% from the field and 41% from behind the arc.

The New York team remains focused and poised going 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Liberty will seek revenge against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night at the Target Center.

However, they will face their biggest test of this stretch on Sunday as they face the league’s number one team and WNBA defending champions - the Las Vegas Aces.