Jonquel Jones propels Liberty into super-team WNBA Finals clash with Aces

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The MVP chants rang loud through Mohegan Sun Arena from the large pockets of seafoam green-clad New York Liberty fans spread in different sections. They were meant for Breanna Stewart, the first MVP in franchise history, as she kept stepping to the free-throw line in front of a harsh sea of Connecticut Sun orange.

It would be easy to believe they were for a former MVP on their roster.

Jonquel Jones won the 2021 MVP award playing in that very arena, but when she came to Connecticut for the weekend, it was in seafoam green as the first offseason move in the Liberty’s super-team era. Her free throws, steal and defensive rebound in the final minute of Game 4 secured a 87-84 win for the No. 2 seed and New York’s first trip to the Finals since 2002.

“JJ has been amazing, so we continue to make sure we’re throwing the ball into her,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “But it wasn’t just in the post-ups. It was the big 3s and the free throws, so well done.”

“The steal was nice,” Stewart, who won MVP in 2018 and again last week in a tight three-person race, interjected to quick agreement from Brondello.

Jones had 25 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and the final steal that mattered the most to ensure a meeting of the appointed super-teams. She was 9-of-12 from the free-throw line and made 2-of-3 3s. The No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces clinched their berth on Friday with a sweep of the Dallas Wings. The best-of-five Finals series tips off Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC) in Las Vegas. Game 1 is already sold out, the Aces announced.

It’s a massive stat line showcasing Jones’ importance to this team of five All-Stars. Stewart led all scorers with 27 points and nine rebounds. Betnijah Laney had 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. All five starters, which included Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, hit at least one 3 to finish 45.5% from beyond the arc.

The only time the Liberty lost when Jones had a double-double this season was Game 1 of the semifinals against the Sun. Jones had a quiet start to her first season in New York and was hampered by a foot injury. Part of it was melding a team of stars together for the first time, and Brondello credited the center for letting the game come to her in recent weeks and months.

“What about just JJ working really bloody hard to get positioned?” Brondello said. “That’s how it works. She had a lot of people around her at different times, but she was just massive.”

The Liberty held a three-point lead thanks to her two free throws with 45 seconds left and the Sun inbounding the ball. Connecticut had stormed back from as many as 11 points down and created a thrilling final four minutes for the 8,196 in attendance and more watching on ABC. Jones prevented Connecticut’s chance to tie by tipping away the pass meant for Alyssa Thomas up top.

“I just felt like [Thomas] was gonna pop out and try to get the ball and I felt like I was in a really good position to make the play and I just went and did it,” Jones said.

The 6-foot-6 center was fouled on the layup attempt and added two more free throws. She went 1-of-2 on the next set when she was fouled on the rebound to give the Liberty enough distance. Ty Harris hit a 3-pointer to cut it to a one-point deficit and New York ran out the final 9.4 seconds.

Her mini moments, such as the late steal, made the difference in a game the Liberty wanted to be rid of the always troublesome Sun and enjoy a week of rest from games before the Finals.

With time ticking off the first half, Jones blocked DeWanna Bonner for Laney to collect the defensive rebound. It was her second thunderous block of the day. Laney hit Ionescu in transition, whose bucket with 0.7 seconds left gave New York a 45-44 lead at the break. The Liberty scored the first seven points of the second half, which included two free throws by Jones, to provide a cushion until the Sun took the lead back with four minutes to go.

“[It was] massive. It’s like momentum changes,” Brondello said.

Jones did the same with a 3-pointer at 3:25 of the fourth quarter on an assist from Ionescu. The wide-open look gave the Liberty the lead back, 74-72, right after they lost it for the first time since that block. When Thomas answered on a drive that tied the game for a fourth time, Stewart hit a 3 on an assist from Vandersloot at 2:08 that gave New York a lead it didn’t relinquish despite constant Sun pushes.

Brondello said the theme of the day was “relentlessly persistent.”

“Because that’s what Game 4s require,” she said. “This is a day I’m really proud of. When you bring all these amazing players together, we work a lot on our culture. And I think you can see where it connected. Because when you have connection, you have commitment. And these girls are committed to each other and this program and how we want to play so it’s great to watch.”

Jones was acquired in a trade with the Sun in January, kick-starting the commitment the front office made to winning a title this year. Stewart and Vandersloot signed in free agency the following month. They already won the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup against Vegas in August, which was the first team trophy won in franchise history.

When she was done with her broadcast interview, Jones went over to her fiancée in the family section at the corner of the stands. As they embraced, the fans in Liberty jerseys who have waited 27 years and counting for a WNBA title roared and didn’t stop until she exited the tunnel.

The seventh-year veteran has been here in this exact spot before, leaving this arena with a championship in reach. The Sun made it to the semifinals for a fifth consecutive season. Thomas, the engine of their success, posted another postseason triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Four other Sun players reached double-digit scoring, but as DiJonai Carrington (14 points) noted postgame, it was two All-Stars on their team versus five on the Liberty. And five on the Aces.

Jones has also left the arena knowing it’s over. The Sun have never won a championship, though they went to two Finals in her time. Her 2022 season, which ended up being her last of a six-year run in Connecticut, ceased at Mohegan when the Aces edged the Sun in Game 4 of the Finals.

“I just remember a lot of emotions. Obviously, disappointment and all of that,” said Jones, who was the last to leave the court after that Sun loss. “And I think it’s a blessing, the beauty of sports to be able to be with this team and be able to be going into Finals and having the opportunity again.”

Jones and the Liberty will look to steal a game against A’ja Wilson, a two-time MVP, and the Aces when the clash of the super-teams tips off after a season of expecting it.