Player of the Week

For the third time this season, Bahamian professional basketball player Jonquel “JJ” Jones was named as Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Jones helped her team, the Connecticut Sun, to a perfect 3-0 win/loss record last week, averaging 18.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Her 11.7 rebounds in those three games led the league in that category. The Sun has won nine of their last 10 games.

In the league standings, as of yesterday afternoon, the Sun were tied for the top spot in the standings with the Las Vegas Aces, both with a 17-6 win/loss record. There are nine games left. There was a key matchup between the two teams last night, but the result was unavailable up to press time. That was the final meeting between the two teams. The Sun won the first two meetings, and already clinched the season series going into last night’s game.

The Sun lead the Eastern Conference standings – a full six games ahead of the second-place Chicago Sky.

Jones was named WNBA Player of the Month for May and is making a strong case for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

The last time she received the player of the week honor was back on July 12, before the league took a break for its all-star festivities and the Olympics.

In the three games last week, Jones and the Sun took down the Dallas Wings on Sunday August 15, and the Minnesota Lynx twice on Tuesday August 17, and again on Thursday August 19.

Against the Wings, Jones came away with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. They blew away the Wings 80-59. The Grand Bahamian added four assists, one block and a steal in 35 minutes on the floor in that game.

In the first matchup against the Lynx, Jones finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with her three swipes. Jones added four assists in 35 minutes of play. The Sun won 72-60.

In their final game of the week, the Sun took down the Lynx 82-71. The 2016 number six pick in the WNBA Draft was unstoppable on the offensive side as she finished with 20 points and added seven rebounds in just 28 minutes on the floor. She also came away with a block and was able to connect on two three-pointers after coming up empty from distance in the previous two games.

Jones leads her team in scoring and rebounds at 20.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. She leads the league in the rebounding category and sit in second place in scoring so far this season.

The Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner was named the Western Conference Player of the Week with averages of 20.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Her team went 4-0 last week.

This was the second consecutive week in which Jones and Griner earned their respective conferences player of the week honors.

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