5 hours ago 1

Liberty star Jonquel Jones exits loss vs. Mercury after re-injuring right ankle

The Liberty lost their second game of the season Thursday night after a fourth-quarter surge by the Phoenix Mercury.

But the loss of the Liberty’s star center before the defeat is far more important for a team looking to defend the franchise’s first title.

The Mercury managed to hold off Breanna Stewart’s 35-point performance by winning the fourth quarter, 25-16, and eventually win the game 89-81 at Barclays Center on Thursday night.

But the loss of Jonquel Jones to another right ankle injury right before a four-game road trip looms large for Sandy Brondello and her team.

Brondello provided no postgame update on Jones but called the injury “unfortunate.” The center exited the Liberty locker room limping with a walking boot on her right leg.

“Hopefully she’s OK,” Brondello added.

Moments after Brondello spoke at the postgame podium, Kennedy Burke said Jones was “fine” after sustaining the injury.

“She always has a good attitude when something happens,” Burke said.

Jones re-injured her right ankle at the 8:35 mark of the second quarter on the center’s shot attempt over Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb. Jones landed on Whitcomb’s foot and fell on the Barclays Center hardwood in pain. The team confirmed minutes later that the injury was sustained to her right ankle.

Isabelle Harrison replaced Jones, who didn’t shoot the pair of free throws following the foul. She was helped up by Liberty staff and managed to limp to the locker room.

Jones didn’t return to the game and was later ruled out.

The injury jumpstarted Stewart, who converted just one shot attempt before the injury. She went on to drain 10 more field goals following the injury to go along with three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Sabrina Ionescu was the only other Liberty player to score in double figures on the night: 16 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.

On the other end, five different Mercury players scored in double figures. Monique Akoa Makani finished with a team-high 21 points.

Jones, who just returned Tuesday from an ankle injury, left the Barclays Center crowd shocked after she appeared to hold her right knee in pain while on the floor. The Liberty’s update, however, alleviates any fear of a knee injury to the 6-6 star.

Avoiding a serious knee injury is good news for Brondello and her team. But, the severity of the ankle injury still isn’t known. Jones’ status for the first game of the road trip in Seattle on Sunday is yet to be known. However, it’s fair to assume she’ll likely miss that matchup.

Jones injured the same ankle in a June 5 matchup against the Washington Mystics. It caused her to miss the Liberty’s following two games before returning for a home win against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.

Without Jones to close out Thursday’s game, the Liberty sputtered down the stretch. And the Mercury benefitted from the void left behind by Jones. The road team won the rebound battle, 42-32, while scoring 28 points in the paint.

“It’s really hard when we lost JJ. That obviously takes a little bit of energy away from us a little bit,” Brondello said.

There’s a reason why the Liberty are 27-0 in regular-season games Jones finished with a double-double. Her presence on the floor presents as another tall obstacle for opposing teams to deal with. And the team plays its best basketball when running through the center as the No. 1 offensive focal point.

Jones exited Thursday’s game with two points, four rebounds and one block in nine minutes of action.

Now the Liberty will wait to see the severity of the star engine’s ankle injury.