Coverage of the WNBA continues on Saturday as the New York Liberty host the Washington Mystics, live from 6pm on Sky Sports Mix
Wednesday 30 June 2021 08:47, UK
Jonquel Jones scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds on her return from a five-game national team absence to help the visiting Connecticut Sun defeat the Washington Mystics 90-71 on Tuesday night.
Jones, who was away playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIBA European women's basketball championship, had not featured for the Sun since their June 5 victory against the New York Liberty.
Jasmine Thomas had 21 points on a career-high seven three-pointers, Natisha Hiedeman scored 15 and Brionna Jones added 14 points and nine rebounds for Connecticut.
Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week DeWanna Bonner was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting, but totalled eight rebounds and seven assists for the Sun.
Connecticut (11-5) won its third straight game following its season-worst three-game skid in Jones' absence.
Tina Charles scored a game-high 26 points for the Mystics. Ariel Atkins had 19 points, former Sun forward Theresa Plaisance contributed 10 points and seven rebounds and Leilani Mitchell added nine points.
Shavonte Zellous was the lone Mystics reserve to log any playing time, scoring four points in nearly 25 minutes.
Washington (7-9) has lost a season-high three straight after winning five of six.
Connecticut led 49-33 at half-time and stretched its lead to 22 entering the fourth quarter. Hiedeman's fadeaway jumper with 1:20 remaining made it 90-64 to give the Sun a season-high in points.
Courtney Williams had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Atlanta Dream's 73-69 victory on Tuesday night in College Park, Georgia. Remarkably, the New York Liberty did not score in the last four minutes of the game.
The Dream (6-9) avenged their 101-78 loss at home to the Liberty (8-9) on Saturday and have therefore taken the regular season series with two victories and one defeat.
Sami Whitcomb, who had a career-high 30 points on Saturday for New York, was held to only 11 points. The Liberty's Betnijah Laney had 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting after scoring 28 on Saturday.
New York, who hit 40 per cent of its shots from the field in the game, missed its last seven attempts in the final 4:02. The Liberty also had two of their 18 turnovers, which resulted in 22 points for Atlanta.
Atlanta made only three of 15 shots from the field in the fourth quarter and shot only 35.5 per cent from the field overall, but the Dream finished with only nine turnovers and 17 assists.
Crystal Bradford had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Dream, and Chennedy Carter and Cheyenne Parker each had 11 points.
