Liberty Star Jonquel Jones OUT vs. Mercury After Injury
Jonquel Jones left Thursday night's New York Liberty game against the Phoenix Mercury with a lower body injury.
Since Jones was injured on a shooting foul and left before taking her free throws — Isabelle Harrison came in for the honors — she will not be able to return to the contest.
Jones was injured with 8:35 remaining in the first half of Thursday's game. She appeared to land awkwardly on a drive attempt against Phoenix starter and former New Yorker Sami Whitcomb. As Jones fell to the ground, she was holding her knee and she left the floor with some help from head athletic trainer Terri Acosta.
🚨 Jonquel Jones left the game with a knee injury and won't return Thursday. 💔
— WBB Buzzer 🔊 (@UnrivaledBuzzer) June 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/zOjYw9WFPM
Jonquel Jones leaves the floor after some contact with Sami Whitcomb#WNBA #LightItUpNYL pic.twitter.com/B9hacsjwOM
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) June 19, 2025
Jones recently returned from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury, when she previously landed on hardwood awkwardly during a June 10 win in Chicago. She was replaced in the starting line up by Nyara Sabally in that span. The defending champion Liberty (10-1) are undefeated when Jones plays this season and she put up a 10-point/rebound double-double in her return to action in Tuesday's triumph over Atlanta.
Jones is in the midst of her third season in New York and, entering Thursday night, she was one of two WNBA players averaging a double-double this season, next to Chicago's Angel Reese. She earned MVP honors in last fall's WNBA Finals, which produced the first postseason championship in Liberty history.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.