A year ago, Jonquel Jones was the last member of the Connecticut Sun to leave the Mohegan Sun Arena floor, with a playoff series having come to a close. Back then, Jones, the 2021 MVP, and her Sun teammates had fallen in four games to the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals. She found Aces star A’ja Wilson beginning Las Vegas’ on-court celebration, congratulated Wilson, and walked toward a tunnel leading to the arena’s underbelly.
On Sunday, Jones again strode off the same court with a postseason series having concluded. This time, however, she did so with the New York Liberty, and she walked off as a victor. New York defeated Connecticut 87-84, closing out its semifinal matchup in four games and moving to the franchise’s first finals appearance since 2002.
Jones still remembers the disappointment of last year. But she said Sunday, “It’s the beauty of sports to be with this team and be going into a finals and having an opportunity again.” She hopes to “finally get one,” when the Liberty’s series with the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces begins Oct 8.
Throughout the series-clincher, Jones was every bit as dominant as she was comfortable in Uncasville. She scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half. She dominated the paint with six of her 15 rebounds coming on the…
