Jonquel Jones leads Liberty rally past Caitlin Clark-less Fever in her first game back from injury
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It wasn't easy or always pretty. But Jonquel Jones' return to the New York Liberty Tueday night was a success.
Jones had missed nine straight games after aggravating a sprained right ankle on June 19. The former MVP and 2024 Finals MVP returned Tuesday night to lead the Liberty in scoring and rebounding as New York rallied past and Indiana Fever team playing without Caitlin Clark for a 98-84 win.
Jones opened the game's scoring with a catch-and-shoot corner 3 in the first minute.
Welcome back, JJ 🗽
Jonquel Jones wastes no time, knocking down a triple to start the game!
IND-NYL | ESPN pic.twitter.com/CKVNDRsftO— WNBA (@WNBA) July 23, 2025
She then proceeded to miss the rest of her first-half field goal attempts in a 1-for-7 start from the floor, clearly still rusty from her long layoff.
A Fever team playing without Clark took a 46-42 lead into halftime over the reigning WNBA champions and extended that edge to 67-60 late in the third quarter.
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But Jones rediscovered her stroke. And New York's defense held Indiana scoreless for a 4:50 stretch to seize control of the game. Indiana didn't score again in the third quarter after taking its 67-60 lead with with 2:24 remaining. The Liberty ended the quarter on a 9-0 run for a 69-67 lead entering the fourth.
New York extended that run to 13-0 in the fourth quarter before Indiana's scoring drought ended 2:26 into the fourth quarter with a Natasha Howard free throw. By then, New York's lead had extended to 73-66, and the Liberty never relinquished control.
Jones hit multiple 3-pointers during the run and finished the night with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Liberty in both categories. She shot 5 of 13 from the field, including a 3-of-7 effort from long distance.
Jones' effort overcame a 29-point performance from Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell, who took on a larger-than-usual role on offense with Clark sidelined by a groin injury that she aggravated before the All-Star break.
Jones' successful return is more good news for a Liberty team that just signed two-time All-Star and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman on Monday. A three-time EuroLeague MVP, Meesseman hasn't played in the WNBA since 2022.
It's not clear when she'll make her Liberty debut. But Meesseman's addition alongside the return of Jones further bolsters a championship lineup that already features All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart.
The Liberty improved to 16-6 with Tuesday's win to increase their lead in the Eastern Conference to three games over the Atlanta Dream and five games over the Fever. For the Fever, it remains unclear when Clark will return from her groin injury.
