By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

Jonquel Jones and the fifth-seeded New York Liberty were eliminated in the first round of the WNBA playoffs as they faced off against the fourth-seeded Phoenix Mercury. In the best-of-three series, the Liberty fell to the Mercury 2-1.

The Liberty won game one in a 76-69 overtime win, where Jones recorded seven points and 12 rebounds, with three blocks, shooting 2-4 from the field in 35 minutes of action. 

In game two the Liberty fell 86-60 in a blowout game where Jones recorded seven points and 13 rebounds with two blocks, shooting 3-9 from the field in only 22 minutes of play because of foul trouble. 

The Liberty would lose two in a row in game three where Jones struggled from the field shooting 1 for 10 as she recorded three points and eight rebounds with one blocked shot in 33 minutes of play. For the entire series, Jones would average 5.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, and 2 bpg shooting 26.9 percent from the field and 18 percent from the point line.

“I feel like what everybody else is able to do to me and what I’m able to do to other people, I just don’t think it’s even… It’s just really frustrating when I’m dealing with a very high level of physicality all night, and then on the other end… I try to box out or get a rebound and it’s a foul on me,” she said in a post-game interview.

Game three was a pivotal elimination game, and her scoring was well below what she averaged in the regular season dropping from 13.6 to just 5.7 ppg during this series.

Even though Jones struggled with her scoring, she was useful in her rebounding, especially in games one and two, helping to limit second-chance points, giving the Libert extra possessions. 

The series may not have gone New York’s way, but Jones’s presence was undeniable. Even in difficult moments she played with composure. Her impact showed her true value for the Liberty even in the loss.