Jonquel Jones is back, and the Connecticut Sun have strung together three straight wins.
In her return from playing overseas in the EuroBasket, the MVP candidate put up 23 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in a 90-71 win against the Washington Mystics.
Washington didn’t have a full roster, and Connecticut capitalized on the glass (a 52-13 advantage, yikes) thanks to Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner (eight rebounds, seven assists), Brionna Jones (14 points, nine rebounds) and Kaila Charles (10 points, eight rebounds).
Meanwhile, Jasmine Thomas (21 points) was 7-for-9 from deep.
With the win, Connecticut improved to 11-5 and remains atop the Eastern Conference. Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
F: DeWanna Bonner
F: Jonquel Jones
C: Brionna Jones
G: Briann January
G: Jasmine Thomas
BACK LIKE SHE NEVER LEFT
Jonquel Jones literally wasted no time getting back to work for Connecticut, hitting double-digit scoring with 14 first-quarter points and six boards.
But it was one of her assists that got the Sun on the board for the first points of the game, setting up Thomas for a 3-pointer.
Bonner (five) and Brionna Jones (four) also were active on the boards from the tip, and the Sun led the Mystics 22-19.
CREATING SEPARATION
Jonquel Jones continued to play ridiculous basketball in the second, finishing the quarter with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block. Like, what?
Check out this pass to Thomas, who put put 12 points before the break.
Natisha Hiedeman came off the bench to help run up the score, dropping seven points, two assists and two steals before the break.
Tina Charles had a team-high 17 points for the Mystics at halftime, but Connecticut led 49-33.
SPREADING THE FLOOR
While Bonner didn’t necessarily light up the score board, she got involved in playmaking, and Brionna Jones and Briann January stepped it up.
But it was Thomas who really came alive in the quarter, getting hot from deep. She had 22 points after the third, but the Sun led 73-51 entering the final quarter.
CAREER NIGHT FOR JASMINE
With the game put away before the fourth, coach Curt Miller let Kaila Charles and Hiedeman continue to get some time on the floor.
But Thomas took some liberties and decided to have herself a career night, hitting seven (!!) 3-pointers by the end of the game. That’s a personal best from beyond the arc.
Connecticut finished the 90-71 win shooting 50.0% from the field.
PLAY OF THE GAME
We love it when Jonquel Jones goes coast-to-coast.
UP NEXT
Connecticut has one day off before it heads to Indiana to take on the Fever. Tip-off on Thursday is at 7 p.m. ET.
