Jonquel Jones scores 24 points as Connecticut Sun beat Washington Mystics
Wednesday 12 June 2019 07:48, UK
Jonquel Jones scored 24 points and Courtney Williams added 23 as the Connecticut Sun beat the Washington Mystics 83-75 on Tuesday night in a battle between the top two teams in the WNBA.
Washington Mystics 75-83 Connecticut Sun
Jonquel Jones scored 24 points and Courtney Williams added 23 as the Connecticut Sun beat the Washington Mystics 83-75 on Tuesday night in a battle between the top two teams in the WNBA.
Jones, coming off consecutive player of the week honours, made nine of 11 shots, and scored nine straight Connecticut points in the third quarter after the Mystics had opened a 10-point lead.
Shekinna Stricklen added 12 points, hitting four three-pointers, for the Sun, who have won 11 straight home games. They went 10-of-21 from distance and made 11-of-12 free throws, including six in the final 35 seconds to end the last threat for Washington.
Connecticut (6-1) have won four straight games while Washington (4-2) had their four-game winning streak snapped. Since a season-opening 84-69 loss to Connecticut, the Mystics had not been challenged and were averaging just less than 90 points a game.
Ariel Atkins led Washington with 18 points. Aerial Powers added 14, Elena Delle Donne 13 and Natasha Cloud 12. The Mystics were just 6-of-28 behind the line.
Washington led 37-33 at the half and a three-point play by Atkins pushed it to 46-36. Alyssa Thomas made a three-point play and Jones had back-to-back three-pointers.
Live WNBA: Seattle @ Washington
Jones made a free throw after Washington coach Mike Thibault was called for a technical and then scored on the ensuing possession to cap a 12-2 run that put the Sun up 48-47.
Stricklen, Jones and Williams made sure Connecticut answered every Washington threat after that.
Seattle Storm 84-82 Indiana Fever
Natasha Howard scored a career-high 26 points and the Seattle Storm held on to beat the Indiana Fever 84-82.
Jewell Loyd added 18 points and Mercedes Russell had a career-high 13, including 11 in the first half, for the Storm (4-3), who had a double-figure lead late in the third quarter.
Kelsey Mitchell drilled a deep three-pointer in the final second of the third quarter to pull the Fever within 65-59. An 8-2 run to open the fourth quarter had the deficit down to one but it was not until Natalie Achonwa's lay-up with 1:09 to go the game was tied at 81.
Achonwa made one of two free throws with 29 seconds left to put Indiana up but Loyd made three of four free throws after that and Indiana missed their last two shots.
Mitchell scored 21 points and Achonwa added 17 for Indiana (3-3). Candice Dupree had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Phoenix Mercury 75-82 Chicago Sky
Diamond DeShields scored 25 points, Courtney Vandersloot added 17 with eight assists and the Chicago Sky held off the Phoenix Mercury 82-75 on Tuesday night.
Chicago (3-2) led 43-41 at the half before DeShields had four of the six three-pointers the Sky made in the third quarter to build a 67-55 lead.
Twice Vandersloot baskets put Chicago's lead at 15 points, the second coming midway through the fourth quarter. Phoenix (2-3) cut the lead to five with just under a minute left but Gabby Williams grabbed an offensive rebound that Vandersloot turned into a layup with 29.3 seconds to play and then Vandersloot added a steal to seal the win.
Stefanie Dolson added 14 points and Williams 10 for the Sky, who were 12 of 23 from three-point range. Vandersloot now has 1,427 assists, eighth on the career list.
DeWanna Bonner had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Mercury and Brittney Griner added 16 points.
