Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in Tuesday night’s 73-72 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
by RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller said he hopes the recent performances from Jonquel Jones means the All-Star forward has turned the corner and overcome her late start to the season.
Jones finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Sun's 73-72 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
The Sun (10-7) led by as much as 20 points in the first half before weathering a furious second-half comeback to earn their first win at the Staples Center since prevailing 76-68 on June 21, 2015.
The Sun will face the Phoenix Mercury tonight at 10pm.
In Jones' previous contests, she finished with 10 points and four rebounds against the Seattle Storm and posted 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Indiana.
On the season, she is averaging nine points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
After struggling against Indiana the previous week, Jones told the Norwich Bulletin that she refocused and went back to the drawing board.
"(Miller) talked to me after the last game and he and my mom said the exact same thing to me, that I was out there really trying so hard that I was getting into my own head. I always want to do well for this team. I know what everybody gives and I just want to be a part of that and bring what I can do to the table," Jones said. "It felt great, honestly, to be able to do that for the team and I was happy we walked away with the win."
Her 21-point performance against Indiana included 5-6 from three-point range. "We don't want a 6-foot-6 two guard," Miller said. "I'm excited about some of the offensive rebounding, she got five offensive rebounds, that's back to the old J.J. and I was excited as much about that as I was the 3s," Miller said.
"For her, to see the ball go through the basket, the weight of the world will be off her shoulders.
"She still has to get back to her old self in a lot of areas, but her defence was better, she got on the offensive glass and we systematically did what we wanted to do with her offensively with her on the perimeter because of how (Indiana) guards you."
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