Jonquel Jones returns and helps Liberty defeat Fever

The Liberty looked loaded when all their puzzle pieces were available, which wasn’t the case for much of the season’s first half. Then management spent the All-Star break loading up even more, adding two new pieces, including a big who was the big prize on the free-agent market.

But the biggest midseason addition could be a player who was already on the team. Jonquel Jones rejoined the cause Tuesday night at Barclays Center for the opening tip of the post-break schedule. The 6-6 center and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP sat out the previous nine games with a sprained right ankle.

The Liberty had won by 21 over Indiana last Wednesday in the finale before the All-Star break, but the Fever gave them a tougher time for nearly three quarters despite the return of Jones and despite the injured Caitlin Clark watching from their bench.

Then the Liberty began to take charge late in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth. They claimed their fourth straight win, a 98-84 victory that moved them to 16-6 at the halfway point.

And Jones led six double-figure scorers, delivering 18 points, which went with a team-high nine rebounds.

“It felt great to be back out there,” Jones said. “Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve been on the court. But my teammates have held it down while I was out.”

Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich added 17 points apiece. Sabrina Ionescu and Isabelle Harrison each scored 13. Natasha Cloud had 10.

And Emma Meesseman will make these defending champs even more formidable in their bid to repeat.

The 6-4 forward, the MVP of the EuroBasket tournament with Belgium last month, the MVP of the 2019 WNBA Finals with Washington and a two-time All-Star, has committed to the Liberty after not playing in the league since 2022. But she needs to get her visa process completed.

“To add someone like Emma, that’s pretty exciting,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “She’s a great player. I think she’ll fit into the system very easily with the way that we play as a team at both ends of the floor.

“But you still have to put it all together. Talent doesn’t win championships. Playing it the right way wins it.”

Stephanie Talbot is the other new addition. The 6-2 Australian forward/guard, waived last week by Golden State, is with her sixth team in seven WNBA seasons. She was available and played 3:55 but didn’t score.

The Liberty were thrilled that Jones was available again, bringing her large presence and inside/outside versatility. They went 5-4 without her after she reinjured her ankle on June 19.

“You add her back in, you just see the difference, how it helps us with our overall game,” Brondello said.

Kelsey Mitchell erupted for 29 points to pace the Fever (12-12). Clark missed her second straight game with a right groin injury. It’s her third different injury of the regular season, costing her 11 games — 13 if you include the Commissioner’s Cup final and Saturday night’s All-Star Game.

“Just when it seems like we start to get on a little bit of a run, a rotation, a consistency, we’ve had another setback,” coach Stephanie White said. “But that’s also a part of professional sports. And so I think they’ve done a great job of handling it.”

Indiana led by seven late in the third.

Then Stewart scored six in a 9-0 run. When she drove from the left side for two, the Liberty had a 69-67 edge after three.

They extended that to a 13-0 run for a six-point advantage. Stewart’s three-point play made it a 16-1 run.

Jones nailed a three and Ionescu followed with a jumper, and it was a 21-3 run and an 81-70 Liberty lead.

They led by 14 when Ionescu drained a three with 3:52 left.

“When we’re all flowing like that, we’re a really hard team to stop,” Jones said.

Early in the second quarter, the Liberty were up by eight. The Fever responded with a 24-8 run to go up 46-38 before settling for a 46-42 halftime advantage.

“We got a little bit smarter with how we played,” Brondello said, “and then we started to make shots.”