Brooklyn, NY—-Jonquel Jones Shines in Return as Liberty Defeat Fever 98-84 Jonquel Jones made a strong comeback from an ankle injury, contributing 18 points to help the New York Liberty secure a 98-84 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday evening.
In a well-rounded team performance, Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich each chipped in 17 points, while Sabrina Ionescu poured in with 13 points and nine assists.
Isabelle Harrison also contributed 13 points, propelling the Liberty (15-6) to their second consecutive win over Indiana. The Liberty had previously defeated the Fever 98-77 last Wednesday, just before the All-Star break.
The Liberty came into the matchup looking to build on momentum from their recent victory over the Fever before the All-Star break. Indiana (12-12) had to compete without WNBA standout Caitlin Clark, who remained sidelined due to a groin injury. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 29 points, providing much of the Fever’s offensive firepower throughout the evening.
The first half was a tightly contested battle. Indiana capitalized on Liberty turnovers to take a narrow 46-42 halftime lead. Both Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart struggled early—held to a combined nine points in the half, well below their season averages. Ionescu hit just three points before halftime and was held out of the scoring column during the second and much of the third quarter.
Momentum began to shift late in the third when Stewart buried a three-pointer followed by a layup to help New York reclaim the lead. Ionescu returned to the floor in the fourth and found her rhythm, scoring 10 straight points to give the Liberty their first double-digit lead of the contest. That offensive surge proved decisive as New York steadily pushed the advantage and controlled the tempo down the stretch.
After missing nearly a month, Jones’s presence was felt on both ends—her scoring touch and rebounding anchored the Liberty and energized the team in her first appearance since June 19.
With the win, the Liberty secured back-to-back victories over Indiana and maintained their position atop the Eastern Conference standings. New York now aims to keep the streak alive heading into their next game against Phoenix.
