The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JONQUEL Jones and her Connecticut Sun returned from the league-wide Olympic break, continuing the momentum they gathered in late July.

In their first game back, the Sun (9-17) - ranked 6th in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference - pulled off the 84-80 upset over the league’s top ranked team and defending champion, the Minnesota Lynx (22-5).

Jones finished with six points, two steals and three blocked shots.

Jasmine Thomas scored the go ahead basket for the Sun with 15.2 seconds left to play to send the team to their third straight win.

Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 15 points, while Alex Bentley, Courtney Williams and Jasmine Thomas each finished with 12. Sylvia Fowles and Lindsay Whalen led the Lynx with 16 apiece while Seimone Augustus finished with 11. WNBA fourth leading scorer Maya Moore finished with just eight.

The win streak for the Sun ended at three when they dropped the second game of the back-to-back with an 87-73 loss to the Atlanta Dream (14-13) on Sunday night.

Jones finished with four points, four rebounds one blocked shot.

Chiney Ogwumike led the Sun with 24 points and Courtney Williams scored 13.

The Dream pulled away with an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter and led by no less than 10 after scoring six straight early in the fourth.

Layshia Clarendon and Angel McCoughtry scored 19 points each to lead the Dream while Tiffany Hayes added 17 points and Elizabeth Williams scored 16.

Once the season is completed in October, whether or not they are in the playoffs, Jones will have an added incentive to continue her professional career, having been drafted by Woori BankHansae Chuncheon to play in the Korean League, starting in November.

“It’s been different at first. Coming out of high school in Maryland where we ranked nationally and we didn’t lose that many games and transferring to GW where we rarely lose that many games, it showed me that there’s going to be a process,” said Jones about her stint in the WNBA so far.

“We have a lot of young talent, but it’s going to take some time for us to develop because we have to learn to play together and we have to grow together.

“We started to come together right before the half, winning our last two games. So we are buying into what the coach is telling us and so I believe that we will only get better.”

After coming off the bench at the start of the season, Jones was moved into the starting line-up, but she prefers to take the initial role on the team.

“I feel more comfortable coming off the bench because I didn’t feel I was ready yet to be a starter,” she said. “I was put back on the bench and I was really able to contribute more to the team, so I think it was a really good call.”

On the season, Jones is averaging 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just over 13 minutes per game.